A funeral director is calling for the government to establish the Public Health Funeral Establishment and Mortuary
Question:
A funeral director is calling for the government to establish the Public Health Funeral Establishment and Mortuary Operations Regulations that would enable the monitoring of the industry, which he says is rife with corruption. His call comes six years after Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton promised the regulations to allow for the licensing of facilities as well as ensure accountability and adherence to international best practices. At the time, the health minister warned that the self-regulated industry could lead to several issues if it continued without industry standards to abide by.
But years later and with the legislation yet to be implemented, funeral director Paul Patmore says the self-regulation of the industry is adding to the crime problem by creating loopholes for criminals to dispose of bodies without a trace. The funeral home director and owner of Patmore's Funeral Home, who was speaking with Radio Jamaica News on Wednesday morning, said in other cases, the less established or "suitcase" funeral homes come for bodies in unmarked vehicles and sometimes even taxis. They take bodies from government-contracted funeral homes, with the approval of the deceased's family, and promise to carry out private post-mortems. But according to Mr. Patmore, the unscrupulous funeral homes will instead "find a doctor to cut the body somewhere or even just create a certificate that they [have seen] the body".
Mr. Patmore called for regulations in the industry to finally come on board to help address some of the issues, stressing that if the country is serious about fighting crime, this avenue cannot be overlooked. The Ministry of Health created guidelines in August 2014 for the operation of funeral establishments and mortuaries. It said the guidelines were intended to mirror the Public Health Funeral Establishment and Mortuary Operations and Regulations, which was being reviewed by Cabinet.
Since regulations impose restrictions and costs on businesses, why would the owner of Patmore's Funeral Home be calling for the government to impose regulations on its industry? Provide two reasons. (15 Marks)
Constitutional Law Governmental Powers and Individual Freedoms
ISBN: 978-0135109502
2nd edition
Authors: Daniel Hall, John Feldmeier