NO NEED FOR EXTRA FEES

MBABANE – The introduction of COVID-19 charges by some funeral homes has caused an uproar.

Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium is one of the undertakers that have introduced a COVID-19 extra handling fee of E2 500 per corpse, money they said would cover the cost of protective clothing and sanitisers.

People who are not comfortable with the price hike have begun to question if funeral homes were not wearing protective clothing and disinfecting vehicles and surfaces after handling corpses before the pandemic took over the world.

The argument here is that if funeral homes were following proper hygiene 10 years ago and 20 years ago before COVID-19; then the arrival of the pandemic should not result in a wide price margin.

“We were meant to believe that mortuary attendants always wore gloves, face masks and protective aprons when handling a corpse. They have always used sanitisers and disinfectants to clean up hearses after handling each corpse. If all this was happening all along, why would the prices shoot up like they did,” a customer wondered.

People took turns expressing their shock and concerns over these fees, and even suggested that some businesses were using the pandemic to make money. 

expensive

“Why has death become so expensive? Why do people act as if death due to COVID-19 is by choice? This is so unfair to the consumer honestly. Imagine paying your policy diligently all these years only to be confronted by more costs the day you need the service.”

Some consumers called for the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) to look into the matter. The general observation by many was that this was very wrong and even made a comparison with South Africa, which has allegedly scrapped the habit of treating COVID-19 differently.

“This thing is disturbing on so many levels. The financial burden imposed just like that. Where does one find E2 500 lying around, especially when they are faced with death? And then it’s the fact that this thing we are made to pay for has been found to be unnecessary in the first place.” 

There is one client who said the incidental costs were high.

“As a business you will end up subsidising the client yet it is a cost to you. 

policy

Another client said it was sad that this was an overnight change. She made an example that if one had a policy that paid E10 000, they would have to part with E2 500 for COVID-19 and administration fees when they were still expected to purchase a coffin worth E10 000.

“I am surprised because I have always thought mortuaries already had disinfecting procedures for mortuaries and cars way before COVID-19. Was there no PPE, because highly infectious diseases are not new?”

A qualified funeral undertaker, Jozef Crooijmans, said a reasonable funeral should not cost the family over E10 000.

Crooijmans, who hails from Netherlands, has worked with several funeral homes here in the country since his arrival in 2005.

“I think those who are questioning the handling of corpses before COVID-19 are justified. From my experience, I have seen over usage of PPE where mortuary attendants would wear three or four pairs of gloves at the same time while working on a corpse and this has never yielded extra costs for PPE,” he said.

He said when dealing with bereaved people, it was crucial to consider the fact that they are fragile emotionally and psychologically.

“Extra and exorbitant funeral charges introduced at the last minute could further traumatise them and result in long-term psychological effects. The only thing such a family needs during the time of bereavement is a peaceful and dignified send-off for their departed loved one,” he said.

The expert said things that rubbed bereaved people the wrong way were likely to stay for longer in their minds.

effects

“The slightest thing that could go wrong when someone is preparing for a funeral could lead to prolonged psychological effects. Things that go wrong include the presentation of the corpse, the car and coffin services and treatment by staff.”

A couple of funeral homes that were called said they were not charging extra money for COVID-19. “We are accepting and handling corpses of people who died due to COVID-19 on a daily basis, but we have not added extra fees,” said a manager of a funeral home.

Another manager said even though her company has not added fees, she suspected that the extra charges were due to the fact that most of the PPE used in relation with COVID-19 was disposable.

“Normally, some funeral homes use washable PPE when handling corpses, so I guess they are now faced with new costs of having to replace disposable PPE as per the COVID-19 requirements,” she said.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: