The Bahamas Funeral Directors Association seeks to pass legislation for the industry to prevent untrained funeral directors from interfering with their livelihood.

President Kirch Ferguson describes this issue as “disheartening,” because this not only affects business, but also overall customer satisfaction. 

He said, “there’s really nothing at this time that we can do without legislation to back that to ensure that persons are weeded out and the funeral industry is governed in a proper fashion moving forward.”

Sources say that no license exists in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas with regard to funeral directors.

Individuals  who  have once apprenticed at a funeral home have approached bereaved families offering services without any schooling. 

With no physical building, no rent, no utility bills, and no staff; individual are able to grossly undercut the market, making it difficult for professionals to offer quality services. 

As a result, customers are receiving less than what they have bargained for. 

Mr. Ferguson added, “we are making every effort to ensure that we cover all grounds in that we have something that is very comprehensive and very digestible for the government to understand why it is necessary for this to happen. So, we’re partnering  with  other government agencies to see the need for it and it’s an ongoing work in progress.”

The BFDA has a committee actively working to propose the initial piece to the government by the end of this year according to Mr. Ferguson.