Who can claim a body from a hospital if there are no relatives in Thailand

[Russell17au]

.A friend of mine died yesterday in hospital and the only family he has are back in the UK and have had nothing to do with him for years and they have even changed their phone numbers so that he cannot contact them. He lived in Maha Sarakham and he recently retired from work and he moved to a new address and a friend of his asked him to go to Ubon to a wedding, whilst at the wedding he ate some Isaan food and developed stomach pains and diarrhea which he ended up collapsing and nobody was game enough to take him to hospital because they were afraid he had Covid and it took 3 hours from the time he became sick for an ambulance to take him to hospital where he unfortunately died. Now his body is at the hospital waiting for documents to arrive from the British Embassy. But the problem that has come up is who can pick up his body when there is no family members in Thailand? Also what happens about a funeral? 

[Sheryl]

You need to discuss thsi with the Embassy. Bios family can authorize anyone they like to take care of the arrangements.

[blackcab]

Normally, whoever claims the body will have to settle the hospital bill before the body is released.

[cobra]

1 hour ago, blackcab said:

Normally, whoever claims the body will have to settle the hospital bill before the body is released.

 

If no body claims the body then I'd assume it would fall on the Embassy ?

At some point a decision on the disposition of an unclaimed body will have to be made.

Maybe there's a pauper's graveyard ?,  cremation ?

[blackcab]

Most embassies do not cover medical bills.

 

Each hospital will have its own procedures for unclaimed bodies.

[Moonlover]

Sorry for the loss of your friend. I would wait until the embassy has cleared the paperwork and then seek their advise. I'm sure this isn't the first time they've encountered this situation.

[Richard Platts]

Rusell17au  please contact me by regular email.  I may be able to give some advice/help.

 

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, blackcab said:

Most embassies do not cover medical bills.

 

Each hospital will have its own procedures for unclaimed bodies.

As above.

 

Hospital needs all clear from the Embassy to release the body, Embassy will provide that once next of kin are located and notified, or once they have determined there are n ofamily to notify.

 

If no one claims the body once Embassy has given the all clear,  hospital will have mechanism for disposal, there are some foundations here which handle this (pauper's grave, essentially).

 

If OP wants to handle (and finance) the arrangements he should contact the Embassy or the next of kin. Otherwise nothing to be done, matters will sort themselves out in time.

[THAIPHUKET]

My Last Will Must Be Followed

Or Not?

It would read:

Upon my legally certified death it is my declared LAST WILL that my body is to be unceremoniously cremated, without consulting any relatives nor anyone else as soon as permitted by Thai Law.

 

 

Attachment: Bank Check drawn on XYZ over THBxxxxx. Ref. Cremation cost

 

The goal is that absolutely no one is obliged to do anything.

Would that suffice?

 

 

 

 

[brianthainess]

The Embassy will contact the relatives, my advise would be to give the embassy your details and explain the situation, so they can ask the relative if you can go ahead with a cremation, hopefully the relative will reimburse you.

[brianthainess]

51 minutes ago, THAIPHUKET said:

Attachment: Bank Check drawn on XYZ over THBxxxxx. Ref. Cremation cost

I thought Bank Checks had a limited time to be cashed. Which now brings to mind do Wats issue receipts?

[Sheryl]

5 hours ago, THAIPHUKET said:

My Last Will Must Be Followed

Or Not?

It would read:

Upon my legally certified death it is my declared LAST WILL that my body is to be unceremoniously cremated, without consulting any relatives nor anyone else as soon as permitted by Thai Law.

 

 

Attachment: Bank Check drawn on XYZ over THBxxxxx. Ref. Cremation cost

 

The goal is that absolutely no one is obliged to do anything.

Would that suffice?

 

 

 

 

 

Your wishes on this are not legally  binding.  For this to happen someone has to arrange it. So you need someone in charge of it who will feel morally obligated to follow your wishes. Also note that a check signed by you is void after you have died. So if a cremation is to be paid out of money you left behind someone has to inherit it and there would need to be probate so probably your heir would gave to front the money first.

 

As explained, your body can't be released until the Embassy authorizes it and the Embassy will do so only after informing your next of kin.

 

I have known cases where an Embassy accepted an Executor named in a will in lieu of next of kin but you'd need to discuss that with your Embassy. And name an Executor in a Thai will, and that person  would have to be willing and able to take the initiative on this,

 

To do other than a simple cremation would cost a fair amount of money. Is it really likely that your relatives would step in and want to pay for a big funeral etc?

 

You can prepay for cremation etc through this company which specializes in expat arrangements and are reasonably priced and will not try to upsell you:  https://www.amarinternational.com/contact.html

contact is Dao Micallef  [email protected] 

 

I think the simplest thing to do is for you to prepay with the above organization and inform your family that you ave done so and also inform whoever is here in Thailand that would know when you died, to notify Dao when the time comes.

[Tubulat]

And what happens if they can't find his passport?

I just thinking....

 

Anyway, thats a very sad way to die RIP

Edited May 10, 2021 by Tubulat

[blackcab]

3 hours ago, THAIPHUKET said:

Attachment: Bank Check drawn on XYZ over THBxxxxx. Ref. Cremation cost

 

Some banks will not deposit a bank check dated more than 6 months previously.

[natway09]

I feel sorry for the old boy (as I am).

It sounds like the family want nothing to do with him anyway, was there not someone he was living with in Maha Sarakam who can organise a simple funeral, once the Embassy give the all clear. Public Hospital charges will be minimal.

I went to a Swiss guy's funeral in Bangkok (he was a pauper basically)where we still said goodbye with the 4 monks chanting. very simple, 35,000 Bht. 12 of us chipped in.

[THAIPHUKET]

Again great suggestions from Sheryl!

The issue not about money or attendance, But to make it as little cumbersome for people back home, as possible. My preference is something like this 

 

[Russell17au]

20 hours ago, natway09 said:

I feel sorry for the old boy (as I am).

It sounds like the family want nothing to do with him anyway, was there not someone he was living with in Maha Sarakam who can organise a simple funeral, once the Embassy give the all clear. Public Hospital charges will be minimal.

I went to a Swiss guy's funeral in Bangkok (he was a pauper basically)where we still said goodbye with the 4 monks chanting. very simple, 35,000 Bht. 12 of us chipped in.

No he was on his own but he is not in the hospital at Sarakham he is in the hospital at Ubon. It appears that all his close friends are not even interested, so much for close friends.

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, THAIPHUKET said:

Again great suggestions from Sheryl!

The issue not about money or attendance, But to make it as little cumbersome for people back home, as possible. My preference is something like this 

 

 

to make it as easy as possible for people back home, pre-arrange and prepay through Amar and give them (relatives at home) all the details. Then all they will have to do is inform the Embassy of the arrangement and authorize Amar to collect the body.

[Russell17au]

23 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

to make it as easy as possible for people back home, pre-arrange and prepay through Amar and give them (relatives at home) all the details. Then all they will have to do is inform the Embassy of the arrangement and authorize Amar to collect the body.

Unfortunately Sheryl I would guess that there are many single retired farangs here in Thailand that have not given this matter any thought. Those that are married is a different story because they have next of kin here.

[Kiwiken]

Is there any Update on What has happened to this man's Body? 

[Russell17au]

On 5/18/2021 at 7:13 AM, Kiwiken said:

Is there any Update on What has happened to this man's Body? 

I got a phone call late yesterday that his body is being released from Uban hospital and his funeral is going to be held at Maha Sarakham on Saturday. I have been told that everyone in the Khon Kaen and Udon Thani area is meeting at Chilling Bar at 10.30 on Saturday morning and Paul the owner knows where about in Maha Sarakham the funeral will be and anyone without a car will be able to get a lift.

That's as much as I know at this time.

[Sheryl]

Who is paying for the funeral and cremation?

[KannikaP]

On 5/10/2021 at 9:20 AM, brianthainess said:

The Embassy will contact the relatives, my advise would be to give the embassy your details and explain the situation, so they can ask the relative if you can go ahead with a cremation, hopefully the relative will reimburse you.

Did the OP not say that his relatives had disowned him.

[KannikaP]

On 5/8/2021 at 8:38 PM, Sheryl said:

Bios family

??????