DUPS EXPLAINS EXTRA FUNERAL CHARGES

MANZINI – “The additional funeral charges are a consequence of COVID-19 protocols and are meant to avert any losses by the company.” 

This was disclosed by the management of Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium following an outcry from the public after it was said the company was now charging E2 500 as a COVID-19 protocol fee.

The company, in a press statement, said: “The charges are meant to acquire protective clothing, sanitisers, disinfecting of our premises and our vehicles to protect our clients and our personnel. In addition, we frequently test our staff for COVID-19 infections because of the high exposure our staff is subjected to.”

Protocols

The statement notified the company’s customers that conducting funerals under the prevailing circumstances the world-over, carried additional unforeseen costs, due to the Ministry of Health’s prescribed health protocols.

The protocols stipulated by the Ministry of Health, according to Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium, were meant to protect both the service providers and the customers.

Dups claimed that this was an expenditure they had not been spared from. It was further explained by proprietors of funeral homes to the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and the Ministry of Health that these costs were unavoidable.

“At the start of the pandemic, the costs of abiding by these strict health protocols were wholly borne by the company, however, as the pandemic’s grip held firm, the cost of implementing these precautions became unsustainable for the company to carry without compromising the level of service quality and efficiencies, hence the need to effect these pricing adjustments.”

The price adjustments, according to the management of Dups, were effected as a result of, among other things, the personal protective equipment (PPE) required for each funeral.

Also, the business entity relayed that they disinfected their premises and vehicles periodically.

“As a responsible business, the company made sure that it does not pass on the full costs to the customers while carrying out the price adjustments.”

Furthermore, it stated that Dups Holdings, the parent company of Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium, was an established business that had been operating in the kingdom for over 70 years. 

Responsible

The management further affirmed the company’s stand of being a responsible corporate citizen that has contributed to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Meanwhile, the surge in the number of COVID-19-related deaths have compelled Dups to cremate four bodies a day.

As of Sunday, the country had recorded 604 deaths since March 2020; which 482 of the deaths took place in almost two months – December 2020 and February 7, 2021.

This, according to the General Manager of Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium, Kyle De Sousa, has resulted in a strain on the manner in which they render their services in terms of the traditional funeral.

He said the traditional funeral was a challenge as the rate in which the deaths had increased was not in line with the resources that were available for his organisation and many others.

Normally, he said, when a funeral was to be catered for by his organisation, planning included human resource that would be pallbearers and vehicles among other things.

De Sousa said: “Cremation has become a solution for us in dealing with the hike in deaths due to COVID-19-related illnesses. However, people are seemingly still skeptical of the process.”

The challenges emanating from the increased COVID-19-related deaths, according to De Sousa, require a very close working interaction and support system from government.

He said the support was necessary because the surge in the deaths meant that they (funeral homes) needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for their personnel when handling the deaths.

Compelled

DeSousa said they had to procure PPE on their own which then escalated their costs while they were assisting government at the height of need. He said this compelled funeral undertakers to introduce the COVID-19 fee which was meant to cater for such.

“Without charging the fee, we would make losses as the expenditure for these types of funerals is high.”

The general manager said it was for this reason that they were appealing to their clients to opt for cremation as it brought about a wide range of benefits to the families.

For example, De Sousa said cremation afforded families to hold on to the remains of the deceased and bury them at a time convenient to them. This, he said, could be the time when the regulations had been uplifted and people could gather again.

He also said they were less costly to the families as there were minimal logistics unlike in elaborate funerals. He implored the citizenry to opt for this alternative as it would ease the burden and risk of infection during funerals.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: