Jamaica’s capacity for accurate and timely forensic examinations has been bolstered with the opening of the new state-of-the-art Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite on Thursday (June 12).
The $680-million facility, located at 149 Orange Street, downtown Kingston, will streamline post-mortem services, ending years of reliance on private funeral homes, which has resulted in delays. Its establishment marks the completion of the development of the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, which aims to strengthen the forensic capability of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and reduce the backlog of criminal and other cases.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said in his address at the opening ceremony:
“With storage for 150 cases… the autopsy suite can handle volume. We don’t have to rely on the funeral homes that do not have the appropriate facilities for medical legal investigations.”
“It provides the appropriate facilities and will be able to give you a level of certitude in the quality of evidence,” he added.
“Today’s opening… is another major step in taking our criminal justice system to a new level, a level that is compatible with the state of development. The Government is committed to providing a criminal justice system that can function efficiently and bring quality service to Jamaicans,” Dr. Chang said.
The National Security Minister also highlighted the facility’s role in regional training:
“The facility can also be used to provide training for forensic scientists in the country and the wider Caribbean to strengthen the region’s forensic services.”
Key features of the Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite include four dissecting bays with surgical lighting, enabling multiple post-mortems to be conducted simultaneously; a refrigeration system with capacity to store up to 150 bodies in varying stages of decomposition; a fully equipped X-ray room; multiple forensic laboratories; a teaching and isolation room; administrative offices; a solar-powered water heating system; and a standby generator for energy resilience.
The establishment of the facility marks the beginning of the end of outsourcing medico-legal post-mortems to unregulated funeral homes. It will strengthen investigative and judicial systems by ensuring faster, more accurate forensic outcomes; reduce public expenditure for contracted funeral homes; clear the existing backlog of autopsies by operating seven days a week; and provide training opportunities for local doctors pursuing forensic pathology, reducing dependence on overseas experts.
The project was financed by the Government and implemented by the Ministry of National Security.
Other speakers at the function included Minister of Local Government and Community Development and Member of Parliament, Kingston Western, Hon. Desmond McKenzie; Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Andrew Swaby; and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Andrew Lewis.
