S'gor exco proposes special funeral fund in hospitals

An emergency or special fund should be established to assist next of kin who are unable to cover funeral management costs at hospitals, including private ones, said Selangor Women’s Development and Social Welfare Committee chairperson Anfaal Saari.

She explained that the proposal, which will be submitted to the Health Ministry for consideration, aims to expedite the funeral management process, among other objectives.

The proposal also seeks to prevent incidents like the recent case where a stillborn baby was kept in a private hospital’s morgue freezer due to delayed payment.

“We will propose to the Health Ministry the creation of a policy, including the establishment of a special fund that can be disbursed to assist recipients, particularly the next of kin in such situations,” she said.

“This initiative is also a Fardhu Kifayah (communal obligation) for Muslims, especially in facilitating the swift management of funeral arrangements following a death,” she added.

She said this to reporters after the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) and Future Laboratory Sdn Bhd (FutureLab) at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building today.

Anfaal also expressed her intention to propose that the state zakat management authority do the same.

Regarding the ongoing investigation into the allegations that a private hospital detained the body of a stillborn baby due to the parents’ inability to pay the bill, Anfaal said that the state government was awaiting accurate information from the police and the Health Ministry before taking further action.

She noted that both the baby’s parents and the hospital had presented their respective arguments, and she would ensure the investigation results were thoroughly examined before deciding on further steps, such as offering counselling.

The case, which went viral on social media, involved a stillborn baby boy’s body allegedly being kept in a morgue freezer for two weeks by a private hospital after his father failed to settle the bill.

Earlier, Anfaal attended the signing of an MOU between WBS and FutureLab to launch the Strivers' Hub Mentorship programme, which is set to run from November 2024 to December 2026.

The programme aims to mentor 1,200 women entrepreneurs throughout Selangor, helping them enhance their skills and boost their sales revenue.

- Bernama

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