Funeral firms accused of paying care homes and hospital staff for bodies

Staff at Belgian care homes and at least one Antwerp hospital have accepted money from funeral companies in exchange for allowing them to collect deceased patients, according to testimonies gathered by VRT’s consumer programme WinWin.

Witnesses say some institutions work with “fixed” undertakers, leaving families without a choice. In some cases, relatives were only informed after a body had already been moved, despite the law stating that families decide which undertaker handles their loved one. 

Insiders claim the deals sometimes involved gifts like champagne or chocolate, but also cash payments of up to 250 euros per body.

“Paying for a body is not done. We need recognition of the profession to stop this abuse.”

The ZAS Middelheim hospital in Antwerp was repeatedly named in the testimonies. Internal emails seen by WinWin suggest management was aware of the practice, though earlier internal and city investigations were dropped due to lack of proof. The hospital says it is “shocked and dismayed” by the fresh allegations, and urges families to come forward.

The funeral directors’ association Funebra confirmed the problem exists in parts of the sector. Its chair, Johan Dexters, called the payments “wretched” and urged the Flemish government to formally regulate the profession: “Paying for a body is not done. We need recognition of the profession to stop this abuse.”

The full investigation airs tonight on VRT1’s WinWin.

^{Illustration picture shows an undertaker pushing a coffin at a funeral centre in Mulhouse, eastern France © SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP}