The Hong Kong government’s watchdog has called on various departments to set up a one-stop website offering information to the bereaved on after-death arrangements.
Authorities could “significantly reduce” the pressure and emotional stress on people handling the loss of a family member by digitalising or personalising the procedures for death registration and related applications, the Office of the Ombudsman said on Wednesday.
It said death registration, mortuary services, cremation and burial services were provided by different departments.
The Department of Health and the Hospital Authority are in charge of providing mortuary services and issuing death documents, while the Immigration Department handles death registration. Funeral arrangements, cremations, burials, handling of cremated ashes and green burials all fall under the ambit of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
“Taking care of after-death arrangements requires time and effort and dealing with the loss of a loved one at the same time is not an easy process,” the Ombudsman report read.
At present, information on after-death arrangements may be found on the government website under a page called “Services and Support for the Bereaved.” But it was difficult for people to access the details, because they would need to click on the links one by one, the Ombudsman found.
The watchdog filed 10 recommendations, including calling on the four government departments to consider setting up a “one-stop thematic website” with standard and consistent information on services offered by all departments.
The website should consist of information on the application procedures for related services, clear guidelines, legal procedures, required documents and answers to frequently asked questions.
It should also be “culture-sensitive” and careful in the choice of words and graphics to address the different customs and taboos surrounding death among different ethnic groups.
The Ombudsman also pointed to complaints over a lack of digitalised services, which meant members of the public had to visit the offices of individual departments to complete the procedures for after-death arrangements in person.
Providing online applications for more public services related to after-death arrangements would be in line with the government’s approach of promoting digitalisation of its services in recent years, the watchdog said.
The Department of Health and Hospital Authority should also regularly review the availability of body storage in public mortuaries and consider adding units to respond to the city’s ageing population.
