Death protocol in the time of Covid sought

BAGUIO City Councilor Vladimir Cayabas has moved to dignify death in the time of a pandemic.

Cayabas said the procedure for death arrangements must be finalized for the sake of the bereaved and the departed.

He noted that in the past months, deceased patients from various hospitals in the locality suspected of incurring Covid-19 were immediately buried, while some had been cremated against the will of their immediate relatives.

"Many relatives, especially the immediate ones, had been deprived of their fundamental rights to see even for the last time the remains of their deceased family member as the cadaver was turned over to them study sealed and wrapped with impermeable airtight bag. More so that when the results of the swab tests were released, it turned out that the cause of the death was not as suspected,” Cayabas said.

Cayabas on Monday filed a resolution that seeks to balance the imposition of health guidelines and sanitation procedures in treating the remains of deceased patients suspected of incurring coronavirus disease.

It also aims to fast track and expedite the release of test results concerning the prevailing culture, funeral traditions and burial customs of the region.

The city lawmaker added the death of an immediate family member can cause stress and dejection on the part of relatives.

“Add on pressure instigated by non-coordinating policies and agonizing guidelines only further swell the burden of the affected parties. Moreover, the immediate burial or cremation was aggravated by a long waiting time before the release of the Covid-19 test result. Plenty of our significantly established rituals and indigenous cultural practices during wakes have been sacrificed and have not been observed, which runs counter to our culture,” the councilor said.

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