Ignorance and Omission in the Public Health Care System in the Age of Pandemic: Quests for the Roles of Funeral Directors

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered funeral practices in South Korea, where a “cremation-first, funeral-later” approach was used for COVID-19 victims. This shift raised concerns about the dignity of the deceased and the rights of bereaved families. While the focus was largely on the deceased and their families, much less attention was given to the funeral directors, who managed these services under challenging conditions. This study highlights the ignorance and omission by medical authorities in providing funeral directors with the necessary guidance to handle post-mortem care effectively during the pandemic. Through in-depth interviews with South Korean funeral directors, this study uncovers the difficulties they faced, primarily due to insufficient information on handling COVID-19 deaths and a lack of communication from medical and governmental bodies. Funeral directors were left to manage infectious disease deaths with inadequate resources and protocols, leading to significant risk and uncertainty. These challenges persist beyond the pandemic, revealing a broader neglect of post-mortem care in the medical sector. The study also highlights disparities in the resources available to funeral directors based on their affiliation. Directors working for funeral service companies, who operate on a mobile basis and are not tied to specific venues, were largely excluded from public health training, unlike their counterparts in funeral halls. This created gaps in knowledge and preparedness. Additionally, funeral hall-based directors experienced differences in support depending on their association with large hospitals, with hospital-affiliated directors receiving infection control training, while independent directors were left with minimal assistance. The findings call for stronger collaboration between the medical and funeral industries and emphasize the need for improved public health policies that address post-mortem care. Better training, clearer communication, and more equitable access to resources are necessary to ensure funeral directors are prepared for future pandemics.