"Collapsed Heart at the Mummy-like Appearance" Hospital Notified Family Two Months After Death

A man receiving treatment at a hospital in Seoul died, but his family was only informed of this fact two months later. Moreover, the hospital caused controversy by charging the bereaved family for medical expenses and mortuary storage.

SBS '8 News' reported on the 19th that a man in his 50s, Mr. Kim, was admitted to a university hospital in Seoul on October 11 last year due to diabetic complications and died on the 29th of the same month.

However, Mr. Kim's death was only communicated to his family on December 26, two months later. The family learned of his death after receiving a registered document from the district office requesting them to take custody of or delegate the handling of Mr. Kim's body.

It was reported that Mr. Kim, who lived alone after a divorce, did not leave a contact number for a guardian at the hospital. Also, Mr. Kim's younger sister said she had spoken with him until four days before his death, but since she was also hospitalized, she could not make further contact.

The photo is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

원본보기 아이콘

In cases of unclaimed deaths without a guardian contact, hospitals notify the local government of the patient's death, and the local government searches for the bereaved family. However, the hospital only notified the district office of Mr. Kim's death a month and a half after it occurred.

Currently, there is no known regulation requiring hospitals to notify local governments of unclaimed deaths like Mr. Kim's within a specific timeframe.

A district office official said, "If the hospital cannot find the bereaved family, an official document usually arrives within 3 to 4 days at the latest," and added, "I was also curious why the death notification document arrived so late."

In response, the hospital explained, "It took time to contact the family before notifying the local government about the unclaimed death." Meanwhile, the hospital demanded payment for Mr. Kim's medical expenses and mortuary storage, and proposed, "If the funeral is held, we will reduce the costs," which angered the bereaved family.

Mr. Kim's younger sister could not hide her grief, saying, "My brother's body had lost all moisture and looked like a mummy, and seeing that broke my heart."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.