المملكة: The cleanliness of cemeteries and the delay in transporting bodies… Challenges facing “Honoring the Dead”

The results of a survey conducted by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing on the journey of the “Honoring the Dead” product for the second quarter of 2024 revealed that the rate of customer satisfaction with the services provided reached 95%, with the participation of about 6,000 samples, but challenges still remain, most notably the low level of cleanliness in some cemeteries. Transporting the bodies was sometimes delayed.
The Riyadh Municipality had the highest participation rate at 17.9%, the Eastern Province Municipality came in second place with 10%, the Al-Ahsa Municipality recorded 5.2%, and Hafar Al-Batin 3.4%.
The questionnaire, titled “The Journey of a Product to Honor the Dead,” included various stages from registration to receiving a burial certificate, highlighting the most prominent challenges facing beneficiaries.

According to the report, the general satisfaction rate reached 97% with the speed of burial procedures, and 94% satisfaction with both the staff working in the cemetery and the speed of issuing the burial certificate.
The service of inquiring about transportation service providers also received a satisfaction rate of 95%, while the satisfaction rate with transportation services and inquiring about cemeteries and laundries ranged between 80% and 90%.

Challenges of “The Journey to Honor the Dead”

Despite the high general satisfaction rate, the report revealed some challenges that affect the quality of services provided, cast a shadow on the “journey of honoring the dead,” and hinder the provision of a full experience to the families of the deceased.
The most prominent of these challenges are: the low level of cleanliness in some cemetery facilities: the report indicated a deficiency in the cleanliness of some cemeteries, delays in transporting the body at times, lack of clarity in the procedures for transporting the body, weak lighting, collapse of the cemetery’s wall and door, and subsidence in the graves, which affects the level of cleanliness in some cemetery facilities. The safety of cemeteries and their general appearance.

The report recommended working to follow up periodically, ensuring that cemetery data is updated and reflected on the “Baladi” platform, and providing a detailed guide to the journey of honoring the dead on the platform that explains service procedures, stakeholders, and defining their roles in providing services.
The report also called for ensuring the availability of vehicles to transport bodies, in coordination with the relevant authorities, periodically monitoring cemeteries, and submitting periodic reports on the level of cleanliness and facilities for cemeteries.
The families of the deceased are counting on the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing to take the necessary measures to improve “Honoring the Dead” services and overcome the existing challenges, in order to provide a service worthy of the sanctity of the dead and taking into account the feelings of their families in these difficult circumstances.