PNP Wants Health Ministry to Reconsider Plan to Use Spanish Town Based Funeral Home

Shadow Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Alfred Dawes, is calling for the Health Ministry to reconsider its decision to entrust the storage of bodies from Kingston Public Hospital to Archer’s Funeral Home.

Archer’s is based in Spanish Town, St. Catherine.

In making the call, Dr. Dawes is questioning the ministry’s process for awarding contracts.

Dr. Alfred Dawes, Shadow Minister of Health and Wellness.

According to Dr. Dawes, several individuals have used social media to air concerns regarding the cancellation of contracts with funeral homes that previously served multiple hospitals in favour of exclusive agreements with the recently incorporated Archer’s Funeral Home.

He notes that previously, the storage facilities at St. Catherine were shared among three funeral homes, including Robert’s, Morgan’s, and Archer’s. 

Dr. Dawes says the contracts with Robert’s and Morgan’s were rescinded, consolidating operations solely with Archer’s. 

Similarly, he says, storage arrangements at KPH, previously managed by Jones’ Funeral Home on North Street, were also redirected to Archer’s. 

He adds that the storage facility at the University Hospital of the West Indies has reportedly also been transitioned to Archer’s.

Dr. Dawes says forensic autopsies in Western Jamaica are exclusively conducted at Archer’s, resulting in an average post-mortem delay of three to four months. 

According to the Shadow Minister, the rapid rise of Archer’s, just five years after its incorporation at the Companies Office of Jamaica, has sparked concern among industry stakeholders.

Efforts to reach Health Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, for a comment were unsuccessful.