Funeral parlours under pressure from mounting Covid-19 deaths

 

As the number of Covid-19 fatalities continues to rise, funeral service providers are facing a shortage of human resources and worry that their crematoriums will not be able to cope if the trend continues.

Nirvana Care general manager (Sales and Service) Teh Khai Lin said he was shocked to see Covid-19 deaths rising rapidly since mid-April.

From March to December 2020, Nirvana handled 12 funerals for Covid-19 related deaths. From January this year till last month, however, he said there were 55 such cases.

For May 2021, although it has only been three weeks into the month, he said the company has already handled 44 cases – close to the previous four months combined.

Nirvana now handles three to four Covid-19 related deaths per day, Teh told Malaysiakini in a phone interview yesterday.

After the interview, Teh sent a message from the crematorium: "Today's first Covid-19 case has just been sent for cremation, but the second, and then the third body has already arrived.

"We have four bodies in total today."

Overworked and under pressure

Teh told Malaysiakini that the company has 200 employees handling funeral matters, but they are still facing a shortage in human resources.

"We started to get busy in mid-April, and many of my colleagues are unable to rest since then. Even though some have taken leave, they cancelled their leave to help after seeing that their colleagues are so busy," he said.

He said even the company's support staff have been levied to handle funeral matters.

"We are feeling the pressure faced by funeral industry players in Italy and the US when the pandemic was out of control. No matter what we do, it has to be done in a hurry," he said.

Time-consuming disinfection process for cremations

Meanwhile, a Graceland Funeral Services official who asked to be named only as Yap said the company can still cope despite the rising number of Covid-19 deaths.

However, he feared its crematorium would no longer be able to cope if the trend continues.

Yap said the government's standard operating procedures (for non-Muslims) stipulate that the deceased's remains must be sealed in a coffin or cremated before any funeral can be held. Most families preferred cremation.

"It normally takes two to three hours to cremate a body. The usual (non-Covid-19)  bodies have to be cremated too.

"Normally we might need to cremate 20 bodies, but now we have a few extra bodies each day due to Covid-19.

"Furthermore, the remains of Covid-19 patients require special handling and can't go straight into the cremator. Before and after the cremation, we have to clear and disinfect the place.

"This takes a lot of time. How can we cope (if there are more deaths)?" Yap said.

Teh concurred with Yap, adding that the cremator also needs time to cool down after a cremation.

If the cremator is run 24 hours a day, he fears that the machine could break down.

'We don't want your business'

Earlier this month, an audio clip featuring the voice of Nirvana founder Kong Hon Kong went viral on social media, where he is heard urging people to stay home and that his company "does not want their business".

"Lately Nirvana has handled a lot of cases that died of Covid-19. Everyone has to pay attention: Don't go out unnecessarily, nothing is more important than our lives.

"You must listen. Don't go out, wash your hands frequently, exercise often. We at Nirvana don't wish to have your business. Hope everyone lives a long and healthy life. Best wishes to everyone," Kong said.

The Covid-19 death toll in Malaysia has been rising steadily in recent weeks, and Sungai Buloh Hospital - a key facility in the battle against Covid-19 - has resorted to using refrigerated containers as makeshift morgues to cope.

Previously, the Health Ministry shared that the Sungai Buloh Hospital, a key facility in the battle against Covid-19, has resorted to storing the dead in containers amid mounting deaths.

The daily Covid-19 death toll rose to 59 yesterday, the highest recorded to date. - Mkini

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

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