Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The burial of a Filipino expatriate recently without the approval of his family exposed the issue of overcrowding of bodies at hospital morgues. Hundreds of bodies are kept in hospital morgues awaiting approvals for burial. The long waiting time has caused some of these bodies to decompose. The Filipino, identified only as Romeo, died in June 2010. His body was at the morgue of King Saud Medical City in Riyadh while the procedures were being worked out. His family back home was surprised that he was buried in the Kingdom and demands to know who authorized the burial. The Ministry of Health insists that the burial was done according to procedures without the approval of the family, Al-Yaum newspaper reported Tuesday. A source from the Health Ministry said that it deals with bodies kept in hospital morgues in accordance with the recommendations of a committee comprising representatives of several departments. The committee is tasked with finding ways to dispose of bodies kept in the morgues for a long time. The law states that the body should be handed over to relatives abroad or to be buried in the Kingdom itself within 60 days of a death. The same source stated that the Ministry of Health deals with expatriate bodies according to the rules and regulations. A study conducted by the special committee recommended that embassies and consulates should be told to quickly notify families of expatriates in case of a death and obtain approval for either repatriating the body back home or for burial in the Kingdom. If a family wants the body sent home, they should provide the address.
