IPOH: Hospitals in Perak are not imposing charges for the management of Covid-19 victims’ remains.
State Health, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Mohd Akmal Kamaruddin said the hospitals hand over the remains of Muslim patients to the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) for funeral arrangements while the bodies of non-Muslim victims are managed by a private consortium.
“Hospitals never impose charges to manage the bodies but we don’t know if the next-of-kin engage services from companies or individuals after leaving the hospitals,” he said.
He said the next-of-kin could apply for special assistance of RM5,000 through the National Disaster Management Agency for the funeral management of Covid-19 victims.
Meanwhile JAIPk director Datuk Mohd Yusof Husin said the department, too, did not impose charges to manage the remains, adding that there might be some fees imposed by the cemetery management.
“My suggestion is to make the charges, if any, reasonable, and to simplify the burial process,” he said.
There had been media reports on the high funeral and burial cost for Covid-19 victims in several states including Negri Sembilan and Selangor, while in Kelantan, some relatives claimed that they were charged between RM1,300 and RM1,800 just for the tayammum (dry ablution) process.
Meanwhile, Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital director Datuk Dr Selasawati Ghazali said the Forensic Department had never set any cost for funeral management, including those for Covid-19 patients, as it was not among the services offered by the hospital.
She said that the hospital did, however, decide to provide the service after receiving many requests from the next-of-kin to perform funeral rites at the hospital.
“A list of service providers who have obtained the approval of the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK) is also provided. The next of kin are allowed to bring their own appointed person to be in charge of the burial,” she said. -— Bernama