“Inhumane and archaic” Minister Abrahams calls for reforms over certifying of death policy

Barbados: Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams has described the policy that places restrictions on death pronouncements, limiting only a certain number of medical professions to practice, “inhumane and archaic.” 

The minister casually shifted the discussion on the existing policy that places restrictions on death pronouncements. While speaking yesterday during a debate in the House of Assembly on a resolution 9 810.8 square metres to the Barbados Associate for Cancer Advocacy (BACA) for the construction of a hospice, the minister called for the legislature to be reformed and allow more professionals to be able to make death pronouncements. Saying the torture needs to stop, the current legislature is only hurting and causing more trauma to the grieving families instead of helping them. 

In his address, Abrahams  recounted a distressing experience of a few of the constituents who had discovered a family member dead, and had to wait for more than 5 hours before the authorized medical personnel arrived to pronounce the deceased member dead. Which he expressed as torture and needs to stop.

The minister went on to criticise the fact that there are only a handful of doctors who are deemed as qualified to confirm a death in the country while there are many others who can do the same. The minister added that he did first aid training and any basic doctor knows  how to check for pulse, place a mirror under the nose, and other procedures that can identify when someone is no longer alive.  

Minister Abrahams calls for there to be a revision of the legislature that will expand the number of the qualified candidates authorized to pronounce some dead. He also suggested there be a proper form of post certification procedure that can be administered to ensure administrative integrity without delaying the acknowledgement of death.

Abrahams boldly calls for expansion on the number of medical professionals authorised to pronounce someone dead. In order to make the process faster and less traumatizing for the citizens of Barbados.   

He finished his address by saying let's keep the processes needed, but let’s not let debauchery hold people hostage in the worst moment of their lives.