Cabinet has approved the construction of the Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite in Kingston and the Westmoreland Divisional Police Headquarters to be included in the Government’s Public Sector Investment Programme.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Fayval Williams, said that Cabinet has also approved the provision of fiscal support.

“The land for the construction of the two facilities is secured and the construction is expected to be completed in two years. The construction cost is expected to be about $555.9 million for the autopsy suite and $522 million for the divisional headquarters,” she said, while addressing a virtual post-Cabinet press briefing last Wednesday.

She noted that the projects, which are being undertaken by the Ministry of National Security, are expected to improve the security landscape for a safe and secure Jamaica.

In particular, the construction of the Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite aims to increase the forensic capacity of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and reduce the backlog in criminal and other cases.

“The lack of an autopsy suite had resulted in several issues over the years, chief of which was the cost of outsourcing the services to privately operated funeral homes. Over the past five years, it has cost the government $482.4 million for the storage of bodies,” she said.