After images of a father carrying his four-year-old son to the cemetery went viral on social media last week, Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony came forward and issued an apology to the family, noting that this is not standard procedure.
The Minister said, “… once the child or anybody is pronounced dead, they are in the mortuary, and then there is an official handover of the body to the family, in this case, that did happen. There is a vehicle that operates between the police and the Ministry of Health and so somebody ought to have assisted the family in getting the body to the cemetery or to the site of burial.
“There was some mix-up between the staff of the ministry and the police, and therefore this did not happen in a timely manner. They didn’t get the vehicle in a timely manner and apparently, the family proceeded to bury the child.”
The minister said the mix-up is unfortunate and has ordered that the Regional Health Officer conduct a thorough investigation so that corrective measures could be put in place.
It was previously reported that the child had died of COVID-19 in Mabaruma, Region One.
