Helping Hand Foundation to conduct last rites for kin of poor people

Hyderabad: A first-of-its-kind free end-to-end funeral services for patients who die of socially stigmatised diseases like HIV/AIDS, TB and cancer and who have very little family support for arranging the last rites of the deceased, the NGO, Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) engaged in providing medical services has now expanded its services to handle funeral and last rites by forming a special unit in the city.

According to HHF, these services which will be free will include but not limited to arranging to cover and wrap the body at the hospital, counselling the kith and kin of the deceased, arranging ambulance for transportation of the body to the home or in the event of no shelter to the place of burial, arranging to perform cleaning and washing as per religious rites, liaison with graveyard authorities, an NoC from police, if needed, and laying the body to rest and offering prayers.

Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF has formed a special unit to handle funeral or last rites. The unit comprises a supervisor, 2 helpers, ambulance and has stocked up funeral kits that are used to perform the last rites.

"The services have tied up with funeral services providers, other NGOs and Groups who support free funeral services and also with some graveyards that offer concessional rates for destitute people. It is also in the process of talking to cremation centres and with Christian cemeteries. To utilise the services one can call on ph: 9603540864/8790679505," said Mujtaba Askari.

Many patients who suffer from these diseases not only face discrimination, abandonment and stigma when they are alive and battling the disease but even after their death, many are abandoned, making the final journey an arduous task, several of these patients leave behind off-spring, who cannot afford to handle the last rites of the deceased leaving them in lurch.

"We have decided to perform last rites of poor patients who die of terminal and socially stigmatised diseases so that the deceased are laid to rest with dignity as their offspring are in trauma and mostly incapable of handling the long and cumbersome process of burial or cremation," said Mujtaba Askari.

Most of the deceased who need social support for last rites are found in OGH, MNJ Cancer Hospital and Gandhi Hospital and some Palliative care centres, due to lack of funds, social stigma and fear of handling the body they tend to abandon the deceased to conduct the last rites.

In October, HHF handled a total of 7 cases of patients who died of HIV/AIDs (5) TB (1) and cancer (1) as their families were finding it hard to perform the last rites.