Dubai Repatriation of bodies to India can run into inordinate delays if the exact cause of death and other specifics are not mentioned in death records issued in the UAE, social workers have warned.
Indian volunteers, who regularly help out with repatriation, told XPRESS that unless the specific reason for the death is cited in the documentation, Indian airports do not accept the cargo which could add to the trauma of bereaved families and cause funeral delays in the last minute.
Social worker Uma Padmanabhan said: “We see many such instances in the case of ‘natural deaths’ as the authorities in India want to know the exact cause for the death. Just recently, I accompanied a body to Delhi but missed an onward flight to Patna because of this reason. When there is a loss, families are already very stressed. The last thing they need are surprises like these. So we should create greater awareness on procedural formalities to avoid last-minute trauma.”
Different formats
Volunteer C.P. Mathew said: “Earlier, death certificates issued in the UAE specified the cause. Nowadays, the format varies from emirate to emirate but we have to make sure we get what is required. Dubai provides an additional page citing the reason for the death. But in Sharjah, we need to get the reason from the Arabic post mortem report and have it legally translated into English. Similarly, certificates issued in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain do not have a provision in the embalming certificate to specify if the person died of a contagious disease or not. But this is a requirement in India – all airports ask for it, so we have to make sure we get it to avoid stumbling blocks.”
According to the Consulate General of India, a total of 1,385 deaths were registered by the Indian missions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 2013. Of them, 728 were natural deaths. In many cases, the bodies are repatriated to India. Ashraf Palarakunnumal, an Indian volunteer who has helped repatriate over 1,700 bodies over the years, said completing death formalities can be a daunting task for bereaved families as it is pain-staking and time-consuming (see box).
He said the official death certificate issued in the UAE is in Arabic. “But there is the option to have an English version as well for repatriation and insurance purposes. This must be done by a legal translator and you must ask for it. Completing death formalities takes a lot of running around and bereaved families are all at sea. Sometimes, those accompanying the body have no clue of the entries made at various stages and provide inconsistent information when they land at the Indian airports. This adds to the confusion.”
Besides the finer print in cases of natural deaths, Mathew said: “Few are aware that the Indian missions require a notary attested affidavit from bereaved families in a police case. Otherwise, their documents cannot be processed. Two weeks ago, the repatriation of a 24-year-old man was delayed because relatives produced a letter that was not duly attested.”
BOX:
Long-drawn process
The procedure for completing death formalities is long drawn. To begin with, an initial death report has to be filled out to transfer the body to a public hospital mortuary which determines the cause of death and issues a ‘death certificate declaration’ report. This is taken to the local district police station which issues a no objection certificate (NOC) addressed to the Preventive Medicine Department.
Bereaved families should request NOCs addressed to the airport for the transportation of the body, the mortuary for embalming and the hospital for release of the body. The Preventive Medicine Department issues the official death certificate. This certificate is issued in Arabic but there is the option to have an English version as well for repatriation and insurance purposes. This must be done by a legal translator.
Once the death certificate is issued, the deceased’s visa and labour card have to be cancelled from the Ministry of Labour and Department of Immigration. A cargo booking is then done with an airline and a ticket purchased for the accompanying person. A copy of the bookings is produced at the Preventive Medicine Department for getting an embalming certificate and a No Objection Letter addressed to the airport to transport the body.
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