KEY POINTS:
The return of a baby's heart tissue to his Northland family a month after his burial "makes you want to cry", says Maori Party Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira.
The family of Lazariah Mar were told by Auckland District Health Board to pick up the rest of four-day-old son Lazariah Mar's heart after they thought they had buried all of him.
Lazariah died following two heart operations.
Mr Harawira said his parents were aware that heart tissue had been taken from their son during the final operation, but they assumed the tissue was put back in him before they took his body away for burial with his grandfather, who had died days earlier, in Waiomio.
"I'm bloody angry ... because Auckland DHB should know how important these things are to Maori people," Mr Harawira said.
"No issue about surgeons doing what they think needs to be done, but body parts removed during surgery should be returned to the body for burial."
Mr Harawira is calling for a review of the way Auckland Hospital deals with body parts.
"I want clear procedures put in place so no other whanau has to go through what this whanau has.
"The whanau were stunned when they got a letter over the weekend from the hospital asking them to collect the rest of the baby's heart," he said.
"No whanau should have to go through this."
The whanau intend to bury the remainder of Lazariah's heart with his koro in Waiomio.
The DHB was not available for comment, but Radio New Zealand reported it had apologised to the family and was investigating the matter.
- NZPA
