In a recent public address on Pointe FM’s current affairs program *On Pointe*, Health Minister Michael Joseph has outlined a key infrastructure initiative aimed at overhauling the nation’s healthcare system: the establishment and operationalization of the country’s first dedicated public morgue, paired with a fully functional new autopsy suite. For years, the government has been forced to rely on private funeral homes to store deceased individuals awaiting post-mortem examination or burial, a arrangement that has steadily drained public health funds. According to Joseph, the new public facility will eliminate these recurring, unplanned expenditures, freeing up critical budget allocations that can be redirected to underfunded, high-priority areas of the healthcare sector. The minister emphasized that the morgue project is just one piece of a broader, multi-pronged strategy by the Ministry of Health to boost system-wide efficiency, optimize the use of limited public resources, and expand access to essential care services. Beyond the morgue and autopsy suite, the ministry is currently advancing several other transformative healthcare projects, including the upcoming opening of a dedicated cancer treatment center, long-term development plans for a new cardiac care unit, expanded access to community mental health services, and the construction of a specialized cognitive behavioral treatment center. As of the minister’s announcement, no official timeline has been released for the completion and opening of the new public morgue.
State-owned Morgue Among Health Ministry Priorities, Joseph Reveals
