Gov't urged to speed up issuance of burial orders

 

As funeral homes continue to grapple with the storage of bodies retrieved following Hurricane Melissa, the government is being urged to expedite the issuance of burial orders across the island.

 

Up to Saturday, 28 people were confirmed dead arising from the passage of Hurricane Melissa, with the death toll expected to increase over the next few days and weeks. 

 

President of the Jamaica Association of Certified Embalmers and Funeral Directors Association, Calvin Lyn, has argued that, as it stands now, there are lengthy delays in having autopsies done and the current crisis will lead to further delays.

 

"It has been done before and especially at this time...it should be done...to expedite it, hurricane or not, because up until two months ago roughly, people have to be waiting two-three months for ordinary autopsy to be done because we have to take the bodies to either Spanish venue or Kingston," he argued.

 

He explained that the government could further use the parish physicians to expedite the burial process.

 

"The government can get the postmortem examination done in each parish or neighbouring parish. All the government contractors in the island do have what is called the backup electricity system, to run your refrigeration system. As happened previously for the past 12 years, I think, autopsies used to be done at the contractor's place, being done by the qualified physician according to the Health Act. The Medical Officer of Health in each parish has a part to play; [they] can get these autopsies expedited by the parish physician and issue the burial order instantaneously," Mr. Lyn proposed.

 

His suggestion comes following a call made by Member of Parliament for St. James West Central, Marlene Malahoo Forte, whose constituency is among several affected by flooding and related hurricane activities.

 

There are reports, particularly across Westmoreland and St. James, that dead bodies remain in homes and beneath rubble, days after the weather system made landfall in Jamaica.

 

In some instances, residents have been told to dispose of the corpses in the sea or burn them since they were in a state of decomposition and roadways were blocked. 

 

Mrs. Malahoo Forte argued that it is irrational to transport corpses across the island to be stored in morgues that are without power supply. 

 

Mr. Lyn added that, despite the best efforts, the newly constructed state-of-the-art forensic pathology autopsy suite, recently commissioned by the government, is not yet fully capable of dealing with the high number of autopsies. 

 

The Office of the Prime Minister outlined on Saturday that reports of possible fatalities are still being verified, noting that, The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Jamaica Defence Force and the Ministry of Health and Wellness, are coordinating the recovery and verification process.