Coroner Graveney Bannister is calling on Barbadians to assist with burying the deceased still stored in funeral homes.
There are at least 60 bodies with no indication about when they will be interred, 25 of which are considered longstanding bodies. Some date back to 2019 and most of those in storage are awaiting welfare assistance.
That figure does not include unclaimed corpses being stored at the morgue of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital – with a 35-body capacity – which was overwhelmed in July last year with Government spending $70 000 monthly on storage.
“There is a duty of relatives, friends and local authorities to bring closure and comfort after the death of a loved one. That duty not only rests on the shoulders of the Welfare Department,” the Coroner said, while urging friends, neighbours and local authorities to help give a dignified farewell to the deceased warehoused in several funeral homes.
He is suggesting that the list of the last known next of kin’s names and their addresses be published, “not to embarrass anyone, but simply to have closure by way of a dignified funeral for these numerous deads, some who died four and five years ago”.
“Not abandoning the dead and treating them in a dignified way shows respect for humanity,” he said.
Touching on migrants, the Coroner said they, too, “have rights”.
“There is a legal and moral duty to the dead, so I am calling on benevolent societies, churches, clubs, neighbourhoods and family members to adopt a corpse. All that is needed is a committal, a memorial service and a basic dignified funeral,” Coroner Bannister said.
He also said funeral homes forced to store bodies for extended periods should be able to claim these cases as tax deductibles at a capped amount.
It should follow a process, he said, where the Welfare Department approves a person for burial, the family then approaches one of a few select funeral homes and have a small dignified funeral for which the funeral home could then make a tax claim.
His other suggestion was that where bodies remained unclaimed beyond a reasonable time, they could be placed in mass graves and a memorial plaque bearing their names erected on the grave.
To feuding families, Coroner Bannister said: “Now is not the time,” adding that court litigation could add to the non-burial of people in a timely fashion.
Situations that lead to the delay or unclaimed bodies include fighting over who should bury the deceased, fighting over estates or overseas relatives wanting different procedures from the local relatives, he explained.
“There is too much of a ‘what’s in it for me after death’ mentality, when for the most part these same persons benefited from the now deceased while they were alive. I am sure that some of them will be prosecuted (once legislation is put in place), because while they refuse to bury their dead, there have been reports that some have been still cashing pension cheques or withdrawing funds from bank accounts.”
Some family members were approaching the Welfare Department for assistance – even though a means test would show they do not qualify, the Coroner said. He is, therefore, urging all Barbadians to prepare for their burial while alive by way of a legal document such as a will or power of attorney, or pay their funeral expenses in advance. (SD)
