Backed by recent legislative changes, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is preparing to dispose of 65 bodies left unclaimed in the morgue, some for as long as five years.
Management at the hospital said the Health Services (Disposal of Abandoned Bodies) Regulations, 2026, provided a clear, legal process to manage deceased patients.
“Until these Regulations came into force, the hospital did not have the legal authority to dispose of unclaimed bodies, regardless of how long they remained in the mortuary. The QEH was therefore required by law to retain these bodies while making every reasonable effort to identify and contact the next of kin or other persons entitled to claim them,” a media release said.
The process also protects the rights of family members.
“Following the death of a patient, the hospital’s death clerk will make every reasonable effort to contact the next of kin using the contact information available. Where relatives cannot be reached, the relevant police station will be notified to assist in locating family members,” the statement explained.
“Under the Regulations, families are required to collect the body within four (4) days of notification or, where a coroner’s or hospital post-mortem is required, within four days of the body being formally released. Families experiencing difficulty making arrangements are encouraged to contact the hospital as soon as possible so that assistance can be provided.
“Where no next of kin can be identified or located, public notices will be published as required by the Regulations before any further action is taken. However, if a body remains unclaimed after all legal requirements have been met, the hospital will follow the process as written in the legislation, and then arrange for a respectful burial, cremation or other lawful disposition”.
Management at the QEH did not respond to queries from the Weekend Nation about the daily costs of storage or disposal should they remain unclaimed.
In July 2024, then Minister of Health and Wellness Dr The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, said it was costing more than $70 000 monthly to store the bodies and sums of $45 000 and $36 000 were being paid to two funeral homes because the morgue could only hold 35 bodies. At that time, there were 68 bodies, comprising 56 men and 12 women.
Yesterday, president of the Barbados Association of Funeral Directors Ian Griffith, said cremation was around $3 000 and burial costs would be similar to those previously offered by the Welfare Department, “a very inexpensive burial”.
Brutal murder
The list of 65 bodies, published in yesterday’s Daily Nation, comprised mainly men, with only eight women named. Among them, Ronald Bryan was in the morgue for the longest period, dating back to February 2021.
One name which stands out is that of Leston Leroy “Toffee” Harewood, whose death date is listed as October 4, 2022. In October 1991, he was convicted of the brutal murder of Arlene Watts at Balls Plantation, Christ Church – sometime between June 4 and 5, 1986 – and sentenced to hang. Five years later, his time was commuted to life behind bars.
Also of note is Albert John who died on November 10, 2024. His cause of death, as determined by an autopsy, was natural causes. This was disputed by relatives and friends who held a vigil for him 14 days after his death at King Street, The City. The autopsy revealed an enlarged scrotum and penis, sepsis and gangrene, as well as decaying organs.
Activist/paralegal Winston Clarke who was among those at the vigil, said yesterday he remained unconvinced of the cause of death, and still had audio from people who witnessed John being beaten. At the time, he said when he spoke with John’s son Shawn who resides in Austria, he indicated he would be seeking legal advice.
“I told him I would have sought an independent coroner to deal with the situation because I wanted another opinion . . . but he said the attorney would deal with it and I backed out,” Clarke said, adding he later spoke with the attorney, who referred to the autopsy.
“I did not hear from him [the son] anymore and I thought that they were ensuring he [John] would have been buried and certain things would have been carried out, only to find out through my sources that it was not so. There is nothing I can do, the family had taken it out of my hands.”
Clarke said he would have taken up a collection and rallied the groups he knew to assist the family here with the burial. He also would have pushed for an independent coroner from the Commonwealth.
Meanwhile, management at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital said they remained “committed to treating every deceased patient with dignity, compassion and respect, while ensuring that every reasonable opportunity is provided for families to claim their loved ones”. ( SAT)
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