Hospital Mortuary Dominated By Gangsters Says Ex Doctor

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 A former doctor says gang members often show up as soon as a death is reported, sometimes even before official confirmation.
The health ministry recently warned hospital mortuary staff against accepting any form of payment, gift, or donation in exchange for handling the remains of dead people or providing information about the deceased. (MoH pic)PETALING JAYA: A former doctor has alleged that a gang, acting as agents for funeral services, has “dominated” the mortuary of a public hospital in Sarawak
The former civil servant who asked to be known as Johan said that gang members often showed up as soon as a death was reported in the emergency department or hospital wards, sometimes even before the death was officially confirmed.
“We believe there are insiders leaking information to them, and they are clearly being paid for it,” he told FMT.
It was reported on Monday that the health ministry had issued a stern warning to hospital mortuary staff not to accept any form of payment, gift, or donation in exchange for handling the remains of dead people or providing information about the deceased.
In a circular sent to all hospitals, the ministry made it clear that accepting money or cooperating with funeral service agents could be seen as corruption.
The ministry said the directive was meant to protect the integrity of mortuary services and ensure that remains were handed over to families without any interference or misconduct.
Johan, who served with the ministry for over two decades, said the gang mainly targeted non-Muslim bodies in a practice that continued to this day.
“A friend currently working at the hospital confirmed that these agents still loiter around the emergency department and mortuary,” he said.
As a result, grieving and often shocked families are pressured into making quick decisions without a fair choice of funeral services, he added.
Johan also claimed that some funeral service operators had clashed in “territorial disputes”, leading to violent altercations at both public and private hospitals in Kuching.
“I still remember an incident where a car belonging to one of the gang members was set on fire near the hospital grounds,” he said.
Meanwhile, a next-of-kin of a deceased non-Muslim revealed that a hospital staff member in Cheras had demanded RM200 during the body identification process in 2017.
“It was upsetting. We were already overwhelmed with grief, and someone working there had the nerve to ask for RM200. Why request it in front of the deceased and not at a proper payment counter?
“Asking for money from grieving family members clearly goes against SOPs,” the family member said, adding that the amount was no small sum for those with limited means.
FMT has reached out to the ministry and the hospitals involved for comment. - FMT

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