An aggrieved son has called on lawmakers to make it illegal for health workers to give personal information to undertakers when a family member passes away, proposing instead that family members be given a list of contact details to make the first contact themselves, at their comfort.
Holger Saliba went through a negative experience when he was almost informed of his father's death by funeral service providers, or undertakers. Initially, Saliba sent a letter to the authorities to inform them that had it not been for a friend present to meet with the undertakers who came knocking at his front door, it would have been strangers seeking to oversee the funeral arrangements who would have informed him of his father's death.
In the letter he described how minutes after his father passed away at Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre, his personal details including his telephone number and address were passed on by staff to a particular undertaker. Saliba said that in a matter of minutes, the same undertakers had come to his front door seeking to be awarded the contract so to speak, without Saliba having any idea that his father had passed away.
The incident took place some three months ago, and the first letter was sent to the authorities mid-February. Saliba has now also written to Opposition leader Adrian Delia where he asked for it to be made illegal for undertakers or anybody acting in their name to approach family members after the death of a loved one.
Saliba suggested that family members me given a list of undertakers and their contact details, and be allowed to call them at their own comfort and leisure.
He also called for a code of ethics and a set of best practices to be imposed on undertakers, and the setting up of a body which can hear disputes, settle grievances, observe that all undertakers are following the code of ethics and act as an overall point of contact and monitoring board.
In the letter he wrote that his experience "is not the first and is neither unique".
"These type of practices have been taking place for years and are certainly unacceptable. I believe that much more could be done to end such practices (despite many people telling me that nothing could be done because the people in this area hold clout). A clear message should be sent to show that behaviour like this in today's society is condemnable."
This is not the first time that the behaviour of undertakers have been given media attention. In November 2017, Magistrate Joe Mifsud slammed the behaviour of two rival undertakers for allowing a case to be brought to court due to a particular rivalry.
Other media stories had also emerged where grieving families spoke out anonymously to comment on how insensitive and difficult it is to be bombarded by strangers calling just minutes after the death of a loved one.
In the letter sent to the Opposition leader by Saliba, he said that over the past weeks since his story was initially given media attention, several people contacted him and shared similar experiences.
"These bad practices have been happening for a long time and it is time they are stopped. I have faith that there will be agreement between you [PL and PN] on this issue which goes beyond partisanship."
In turn, Delia has appointed an MP to raise the matter in Parliament, saying that what happened was "shocking".
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2sYtciy
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