The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has revealed it has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars storing unclaimed bodies after years of being legally unable to dispose of them, as it prepares to lay 65 people to their final rest.
The move follows the enactment of the Health Services (Disposal of Abandoned Bodies) Regulations, under which the hospital on Thursday published a notice listing the names of 65 people whose remains have gone unclaimed, including some who died as far back as February 2021.
Until the regulations came into force, the QEH did not have the legal authority to dispose of unclaimed bodies, regardless of how long they remained in the mortuary. The hospital was therefore required by law to retain the remains while making every effort to identify and contact the next of kin or other people entitled to claim them.
Under the new regulations, relatives are required to collect a body within four days of being notified of the death or, where a coroner’s or hospital post-mortem is required, within four days of the body being formally released. If all legal requirements have been met and the remains remain unclaimed, they are deemed abandoned and the hospital may proceed with a burial, cremation or other lawful disposal.
The regulations also allow the QEH to recover from the deceased’s estate any costs incurred in storing and disposing of the remains.
The majority of those listed were between the ages of 50 and 80 years old, with the youngest a 36-year-old man and the oldest a 96-year-old man.
Where no next of kin can be identified or located, the regulations require the hospital to publish a public notice before any further action is taken.
The issue of unclaimed bodies begins long before funeral homes become involved, as families must first claim the remains before funeral arrangements can be made, President of the Funeral Directors Association of Barbados, Ian Griffith.
“This particular situation where unclaimed bodies are concerned is just what it is — bodies that have not been claimed,” Griffith told Barbados TODAY.
Financial hardship should not prevent families from claiming their loved ones, the undertaker said, noting that assistance is available for those who qualify.
“You can seek assistance from welfare. If a person does not have the financial means to bury somebody, for whatever reasons, then they can seek the Welfare Department for assistance. As long as they’re qualified, they would then be able to get that assistance,” Griffith said, adding that National Insurance assistance may also be available in some cases.
“Most funeral homes in Barbados offer payment plans” to ease the burden on grieving families, he said.
While acknowledging that payment plans sometimes create challenges for funeral homes, Griffith said they remain an important way of helping families meet funeral expenses:
“Receivables issues have been around for a very long time… but when funeral homes in Barbados extend the opportunity for a payment plan, they’re actually helping the family along the way. There are some jurisdictions where funerals are done on a cash basis or with insurance coverage.”
In a statement issued after the notice was published, the QEH said the regulations provide “a lawful, transparent and dignified process for managing unclaimed bodies while continuing to protect the rights of families”.
Following the death of a patient, the hospital’s death clerk makes “every reasonable effort” to contact the next of kin using the information available, the QEH said. Where relatives cannot be reached, the relevant police station is notified to assist in locating family members.
The QEH also stressed that support is available for families experiencing difficulties making funeral arrangements:
“Families experiencing difficulty making arrangements are encouraged to contact the Hospital as soon as possible so that assistance can be provided,”
Spokesman Shane Sealy told Barbados TODAY the legislation became necessary because many relatives either cannot be contacted or simply do not respond after being notified:
“To store all of these bodies [has cost] in the hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of time. In many cases, we have not had any response, and that’s why we put it in the paper. In some cases they don’t have the finances.”
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