Losing a loved one is a deeply distressing experience, and mourning families in India often find themselves overwhelmed with emotions while dealing with the practical aspects of making arrangements for the final rites. Unfortunately, the funeral industry in the country remains largely unorganized, leading to a myriad of challenges faced by grieving families. From exorbitant charges by various service providers to poorly maintained cremation grounds and complex repatriation procedures, navigating these issues can add significant burden to the grieving process.
In this enlightening conversation, we sit down with Rishabh Jalan, CEO of Last Journey to explore how their innovative “Patient-Family-Support-Service (PFSS)” is transforming the funeral service landscape. The PFSS is a 24×7 emergency service, strategically positioned in Indian hospitals, providing prompt, accountable, and hassle-free end-of-life care for all. Through a stringent modus operandi and coordination with embassies for international repatriation, PFSS aims to offer solace to families during their moments of grief while safeguarding them from exploitation and unfair practices.
Read full conversation with Rishabh Jalan with Founder Talks
- What are the challenges that mourning families face in India?
When a family goes through the loss of a loved one, they are in a state of shock and overwhelmed by feelings, in such a situation having to handle themselves, other members and making arrangements for the last rites. However, due to the funeral industry being an unorganized mourning families face exploitation, delayed services, logistics and procurement related challenges. Right from the mortuary ambulance providers who have no standard rates and charge as they please; to the purohits and priests who charge obnoxious amounts in the name of offerings (Dakshina). Cut to the cremation grounds and their poor maintenance – clogged water pits, excreting stray animals, unhygienic toilets, and families waiting out in the open with their deceased member lying on the ground because there is no waiting area and the wood providers making people wait for hours. In a case if the deceased person’s mortal remains are to be repatriated to another country, it becomes a nightmare for the families due to the complex procedure. - How can PFSS help to address these challenges?
Last Journey in itself is an end-to-end funeral services provider and works in close proximity with embassies for smooth facilitation of international repatriation. The Patient-Family-Support-Service (PFSS) is a 24×7 emergency service empanelled across Indian hospitals to facilitate hassle free, prompt and accountable end-of-life care for all. Based on a stringent modus-operandi and conducted by trained professionals, the services are provided to families inside the hospital. The right from the arrangement of a mortuary, hearse van, electrical ice-box, cremation ground booking, arrangement of a pandit and religious itinerary as per cultural preferences are all streamlined. For international repatriation cases wherein embalming is required, certified panel doctors conduct the procedure and certificate is provided. Furthermore, the whole coordination with embassies of origin and destination countries, flight booking, security and airport clearance, procurement of documents such as Police NOCs are arranged within 48 hours. - What are the benefits of PFSS for patients and their families?
The families are not only able to grieve in solace and process the emotional trauma, but also are safeguarded from the unfair practices & exploitation of unorganized local vendors. Grief is an extremely personal and sensitive emotion and during such times families need to be assured that anyone involved in the conduction or facilitation of last rites can be trusted. Time is of the essence when it comes to cremations, especially across the majority of Indian traditional practices as it is believed that the body of the deceased must be cremated before sundown; therefore the promptness of the PFSS helps in avoiding delays. The overall logistical and documentation related procedures involved in repatriation of mortal remains is something that is not known to all, and PFSS by Last Journey ensures complete hand-holding of the distressed families in India or abroad.
- How can hospitals and hospices integrate PFSS into their care models?
The integration of PFSS is kept extremely simple, we first have a physical meeting with the stakeholders who want to onboard this emergency program. It is up to their discretion whether they wish to integrate it all across their wings or specific ones. Usually, we have seen the hospitals integrate PFSS in their trauma care centers, critical care units and palliative care units to ensure logistical readiness in case of emergency. After checking the feasibility of the services and calculating other intricate details of the scope-of-work, an NDA and MOU is signed for official closure.
- What are the challenges of integrating PFSS into hospitals and hospices?
Often, the negative prejudice of organized funeral service providers clouds the intention of providing additional support and comfort to patients and their families becomes a challenge. This seeming conflict of interest can only be rectified as and when healthcare professionals and organizations look at PFSS as more of an allied service and a stand-by facility which is important to provide assistance to families instantaneously. Moreover, effective integration requires seamless coordination and communication between the both the parties involved and setting up of clear protocols & guidelines that must be complied with to ensure smooth collaboration. - How can the government support the integration of PFSS into hospitals and hospices?
Government authorities can facilitate the integration of a patient family support service program into healthcare institutions by assessing program quality and ethics, creating guidelines, collaborating with healthcare institutions, providing training and education for healthcare professionals, conducting awareness campaigns, offering financial support, monitoring and evaluating the program’s effectiveness, providing legal and regulatory support, engaging stakeholders, and ensuring accessibility to rural and underserved areas. - What advice would you give to hospitals and hospices that are considering integrating PFSS into their care models?
The pandemic has served as a sour but hard hitting reality check for the emergency readiness of our overall end-of-life infrastructure. TO ensure that every Indian is safeguarded from exploitation at the time when they are emotionally vulnerable; and that the right to die with dignity of a deceased person is also ensured, it is imperative that Indian healthcare institutions become more inclusive of PFSS programs. - What are your thoughts on the future of death care in India?
The future of death-care in India is likely to see increased digitalization and technology adoption, modernization of facilities to cater to the growing population, and a focus on personalization of services. There might be a shift towards environmentally friendly practices, an emphasis on grief support services, and potential regulatory changes to address emerging challenges. Additionally, the concept of end-of-life planning might gain more acceptance, leading to more individuals preparing for their own funeral and burial preferences in advance.
The challenges faced by mourning families during their time of loss are not to be underestimated. By embracing services like PFSS, hospitals and hospices can create a compassionate care model that alleviates the burden on grieving families. The integration process is straightforward, and “Last Journey” emphasizes a collaborative approach with the stakeholders to tailor the service according to the institution’s needs.
Visit Last Journey Website here.
If you have a story like Last Journey, share it with us. Submit your story here.
