SHADOW minister of health Dr Alfred Dawes Tuesday urged the Ministry of Health and Wellness to reassess the decision to entrust the storage of bodies from Kingston Public Hospital to the Spanish Town-based Archer’s Funeral Home.

This call for reconsideration, said the People’s National Party (PNP) spokesman, was prompted by the undue inconvenience and financial strain placed on grieving relatives, compelling them to retrieve their loved ones’ remains from the establishment located in Spanish Town, diverging from the decades-long practice of a Kingston-based location.

“Numerous individuals have taken to social media to articulate their concerns regarding the cancellation of contracts with established funeral homes, which previously served multiple hospitals, in favour of exclusive agreements with the recently incorporated Archer’s Funeral Home,” said Dawes.

According to Dawes, previously the storage facilities at St Catherine were shared among three funeral homes — Robert’s, Morgan’s, and Archer’s. However, he charged that contracts with Robert’s and Morgan’s were rescinded, consolidating operations solely with Archer’s.

“Similarly, the storage arrangements at Kingston Public Hospital, previously managed by Jones’ Funeral Home on North Street, were also redirected to Archer’s. The storage facility at University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) has reportedly also been transitioned to Archer’s,” said Dawes.

“Adding salt to the wound, forensic autopsies in western Jamaica are exclusively conducted at Archer’s, resulting in an average post-mortem delay of three to four months. Bodies must undergo transportation across the island, often under police escort. The rapid rise of Archer’s, just five years after its incorporation at the Companies Office of Jamaica, has sparked concern among long-standing industry stakeholders, who fear that their government contracts could be the next to be relinquished.

“I anticipate that the response of the Ministry of Health and Wellness will be that the process to award the contract to Archer’s Funeral Home was ‘above board’. However, it was a wicked and uncaring lot that decided that little to no weight would be placed on the ability of grieving relatives to conveniently and affordably retrieve the bodies of their loved ones,” said Dawes.

The PNP, he said, stands in solidarity with bereaved families, advocating for their right to mourn without enduring additional financial burdens and logistical hurdles during their time of grief.