Dubai: Dubai residents are crying foul after a government-approved company almost doubled the price of coffins at the Medical Fitness Centre, in Sonapur, where all bodies are embalmed before repatriation.
With effect from January 1, the cost of a regular coffin at the centre has gone up to Dh2,300 from Dh1,200 last year, XPRESS can reveal.
"This is too much. How can an average family that is bereaved afford such a high amount in addition to other costs?" asked Raju, an Indian resident of Dubai.
"[There was a] time when a coffin cost Dh600. Then it increased to Dh1,200 and now it is Dh2,300 — this is a huge percentage rise. If you ask me, the old rate should be restored," said Joseph Bobby, vice-president of the NGO Valley of Love, which assists residents in completing procedural formalities in the event of death.
Burdensome
He said the escalating costs of repatriation are proving burdensome for many families.
"To repatriate a body to some countries in Africa, for instance, families have to spend Dh18,000 for cargo alone. This is in addition to the Dh1,100 for embalming, Dh210 for [the] ambulance and now Dh2,300 for the coffin," he said.
A Pakistani resident who did not want to be named said: "It does not cost more than Dh400 or Dh500 to make a coffin. In Abu Dhabi, the cost for both embalming and the coffin comes up to Dh1,000. But in Dubai, we have to pay Dh2,300 for an ordinary coffin. And we cannot bring a box from outside as we are not allowed."
According to international norms, the remains of a person who has died in the UAE have to be embalmed to forestall decomposition before being repatriated to his or her home country.
In Dubai, this embalming is done at the Medical Fitness Centre in Sonapur, following which the preserved body is placed in a coffin for due transportation. But coffins from outside are not allowed due to security reasons. They have to be sourced from a company approved by the Dubai Healthy Authority (DHA).
A DHA spokesperson told XPRESS: "In terms of the coffins, the DHA selects a company after open competition and we do not allow any coffins from outside purely because of security purposes. After embalming, we place the body in the coffin and seal the coffin and this takes place under the direct supervision of the DHA staff who are also responsible [for transferring] the coffins to the airport, through the municipality ambulance, as there are several security checks which take place."
However, the DHA said it is not responsible for pricing and referred all questions to concerned company.
When contacted, the manager of the company said: "For five years, we did not increase the price of the coffins in keeping with our earlier contract with the health department although the prices of steel and other materials were going up. The new price follows the new contract which we were awarded in June 2011."
The manager said there are cases in which the company has provided coffins for as little as Dh300.
"There are people who genuinely cannot afford to pay and we do make exceptions. In fact, we are working on a policy to identify specific criteria for such people so that they can get support."
- Dh2,300: new coffin price at the Medical Fitness Centre
- Dh1,000: the cost of a coffin and embalming in Abu Dhabi
- Dh300: cost of coffin for those who can't afford to pay
