SEREMBAN: Families grieving over the loss of loved ones due to Covid-19 are upset they are being charged excessively by undertakers.Some families claimed they are now paying double or three times more to cremate their loved ones.
Malaysian Hindu Sangam Negri Sembilan chapter head SS Pillay described the rates as “exorbitant” and that the authorities should urgently look into the matter.
“Some undertakers have come up with packages costing RM7,000, which does not make sense,” he said.Pillay said that in the time before Covid-19 pandemic, the rate was around RM2,500 or lower, depending on the material.
However, he said the family of a friend who was cremated last week after she died of Covid-19 was charged RM3,800.
Negri Sembilan chapter of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism secretary Prabdhial Singh said Sikh families only paid between RM400 and RM500 to cremate the dead.
The cost, he said, was low as the Gurdwara Sahib Seremban provided a free hearse for the service.
“However, when I attended two Covid-19-related cremations, I was shocked when told by the families they were charged RM3,000 each.
“The families were told by the undertakers that they were appointed by the Health Ministry to provide the service,” he said.
Prabdhial said when the families asked why the excessive cost, the undertakers said it included personal protective equipment for family members at the ceremony.
Negri Sembilan health committee chairman S. Veerapan said he was told some undertakers now charged between RM4,000 and RM5,000.
“This is excessive. I can understand if they charge between RM500 and RM1,000, as all they need to do is to transport the coffin to the crematorium or the cemetery,” he said.
He refuted the claim that the ministry had appointed undertakers at hospitals to provide the service.
“Families are free to get their own undertakers. There is no such thing as the ministry or hospital appointing them,” he said.