PETALING JAYA: A former government doctor has revealed that gangsters acting as funeral service agents have taken control of a public hospital mortuary in Sarawak, intercepting deaths before official confirmation.
Johan, who served the Health Ministry for over 20 years, told Free Malaysia Today that gang members would receive advance notice of deaths in emergency departments and wards through paid informants among the hospital staff.
“We believe there are insiders leaking information to them, and they are clearly being paid for it,“ Johan was quoted as saying.
The allegations surfaced after the health ministry issued a circular on Monday warning hospital mortuary staff against accepting payments, gifts, or donations for handling remains or providing information about deceased persons.
The ministry stated that such cooperation with funeral service agents constitutes corruption.
Johan continued, saying that the gang primarily targets non-Muslim bodies—a practice that continues to this day.
“A friend currently working at the hospital confirmed that these agents still loiter around the emergency department and mortuary,” he added.
This forces grieving families to make rushed decisions without proper choices for funeral services.
He also reported violent territorial disputes between funeral operators at Kuching’s public and private hospitals.
“I still remember an incident where a car belonging to one of the gang members was set on fire near the hospital grounds,“ he was quoted as saying.
In another case, a family member revealed that hospital staff in Cheras demanded RM200 during body identification in 2017.
“It was upsetting. We were already overwhelmed with grief, and someone working there had the nerve to ask for RM200.
“Why request it in front of the deceased and not at a proper payment counter? Asking for money from grieving family members clearly goes against SOPs,“ the unnamed family member said.
