When a loved one dies in hospital: what happens next

Hearing the news: a call from the clinic or a talk with the doctor

If none of the relatives was in the room at that moment, the clinic usually contacts the person recorded as the contact on admission. Some hospitals give the news by phone; others ask the family to come in and meet the doctor in charge. Either way, you have every right to ask questions calmly: what happened in the last hours, who was there, whether the person was in pain. If the call has caught you off guard, do not drive on your own. Ask a relative or friend to take you, or call a taxi, so that you reach the clinic safely.

Saying goodbye on the ward

Most clinics let relatives spend a few minutes with the body before it is moved to the refrigerated unit. This may be an ordinary ward, an intensive care bay or a separate room that staff clear for the purpose. If you want to hold their hand, pray or simply sit in silence, say so plainly. Some departments do not allow candles for safety reasons, but nobody will stand in the way of a prayer or a short silence. If other family members are still on their way, ask the nurse whether it is possible to wait a little so that they too can say goodbye.

Medical certificate of death issued by the clinic

In hospital, the clinic's own doctors confirm the death and complete the medical certificate, so there is no need to call an ambulance. The certificate records the date, time and cause of death, and on the basis of it the Public Service Hall (the state registry office that people in Georgia also know as the House of Justice) issues the death certificate. Preparing the medical certificate can take several hours, especially on a Saturday or Sunday. Once you have the document in your hands, check the first name, surname, personal ID number and date of birth: even one wrong letter can mean an extra trip later, when corrections have to be made at a different office.

Personal belongings: make a list

In hospital a person has with them a phone, a charger, a wallet, glasses, a ring, a cross on a chain, a dressing gown and sometimes cash. All of this is returned to the family, but in the confusion things go missing easily. Ask the nurse to go through the items with you, and write down on paper or in your phone exactly what you received. If jewellery remains on the body, such as a wedding ring, decide whether to leave it until the funeral and tell the staff what you have decided. Some clinics ask you to sign for the belongings: sign only after you have seen everything with your own eyes.

The hospital mortuary and how long the body stays there

Some time after death is confirmed, the body is moved to the clinic's refrigerated chamber or to the pathology department. It stays there until the family chooses a funeral home and the paperwork is ready. As a rule, hospitals keep a body only for a short time and do not offer long-term storage. Exact conditions, whether there is a charge and the hours for releasing the body vary from place to place, so ask the administration directly. If the funeral is still several days away and relatives are travelling from afar, the funeral home will arrange body storage at the right temperature.

Only the family chooses the funeral home

Now and then someone appears in a hospital corridor offering to "help" and pressing a particular funeral service on you. Remember: neither a member of clinic staff, nor security, nor anyone else can force a family to hand the body over to a specific funeral home. You can ring several services, compare their terms and only then decide. If you feel pressured, reply politely that the family will choose for itself, and go to the clinic's administration. The mortuary releases the body to whichever funeral home the relatives name.

What to take with you to the hospital

When you set off for the clinic, pack the ID card or passport belonging to the deceased, plus your own identity document. The clinic usually hands the medical certificate and belongings to a close relative, so you may need to prove the relationship. If the deceased's document was left at the clinic on admission, check this at reception. It also helps to bring:

• a set of clothes, if the family wants the body to leave the clinic already dressed, although the funeral home can dress the deceased later;
• a bag for belongings, so that the phone, glasses and documents stay together;
• a pen and notebook or notes on your phone, for writing down names, numbers and times;
• a charger for your own phone, because there will be a great many calls in the hours ahead.

Night or day: what the time of death changes

If the death happens at night, the clinic will still inform the family, but the administration and some services do not work until morning. In the meantime the body stays in the refrigerated chamber, and there is no reason for the family to rush. At night it is enough to ring those closest to you, rest a little and contact the funeral home in the morning. Many funeral homes take calls at night too, so if you want everything to start on time in the morning, you can message or ring the coordinator during the night. When death happens during the day, the certificate and the release of the body can often be arranged the same day.

Post-mortem or forensic examination: when the clinic insists

If the person died after a long illness with an established diagnosis, a post-mortem is generally not required. However, the doctors may suggest or require one if the cause of death is unclear, if the patient died immediately after admission, or if there was an injury, poisoning or another unexpected circumstance. In that case a forensic medical examination may be ordered, and the release of the body is delayed. Ask the doctor who made the decision, how long the procedure will take and where to go for the result. Tell the doctor about the family's religious views in your very first conversation.

Death in intensive care

Relatives are often allowed into intensive care only at set hours, and many people later live with the feeling that they did not make it in time for the last minutes. This is a very common feeling, and it is not your fault. Ask the doctor how your loved one spent the last days, whether they were conscious, whether their pain was eased. In intensive care, tubes and catheters sometimes remain on the body for a while, and the sight can be distressing. If you do not want to remember your loved one like that, the farewell can wait until the body has been properly prepared.

Infectious diseases

If the person died of a contagious infection, the clinic may apply extra sanitary rules: restricted access to the body, special wrapping, a closed coffin or other measures that depend on the epidemiological situation at the time. These rules exist to protect the family and the staff. In such a case, tell the funeral home the diagnosis in advance, so that the team arrives with protective equipment and can explain honestly what is possible at the farewell. Some of the traditional rites can usually still be observed, simply in an adapted form and with greater care.

If the hospital is in another city

Sometimes the person was being treated in another city, or was transferred from a region to a Tbilisi clinic, while the burial is to be in their home village. The medical certificate is then issued by the clinic where the death occurred, and any Public Service Hall can register the death. The main organisational question here is transport: you need a hearse that will carry the body over a long distance in proper conditions. Give the funeral home both addresses, and it will plan the route, the departure time and who will receive the body at the other end.

Releasing the body from the mortuary

Once the family has chosen a funeral home, its representative contacts the mortuary and agrees a time for the release. Release usually requires the medical certificate, the deceased's ID document and the family's consent. A relative does not always have to be present, although some clinics require a close relative's signature. From the mortuary the body may be taken directly home, to a hall for the farewell, or first for preparation. If the coffin and clothing have already been chosen, dressing is sometimes done at the moment of release, so the family sees their loved one ready from the very first moment.

Next step: the documents

The medical certificate is only the first piece of paper. Based on it, the death is entered in the civil register at the Public Service Hall, which issues a death certificate that will then be needed by the cemetery, the church and other institutions. The family can do all this themselves or entrust it to the funeral home. We take care of death documents, so you do not have to go straight from the clinic to stand in queues. An overview of everything that happens from the day of death to the anniversary is set out in our guide.

Feelings: "I was not there in time" and other thoughts

A death in hospital often leaves questions without answers: did we bring him in soon enough, did we choose the right doctor, why was I not there at the last moment? Thoughts like these are natural, and they soften with time. If the medical side troubles you, you can later request a copy of the medical records and talk to the doctor in charge again. For now, allow yourself simply to be with your family, and hand the practical tasks to someone who has more strength at this moment.

Questions worth asking the doctor

• What was the immediate cause of death, and how will it be recorded on the certificate?
• Is a post-mortem or forensic examination needed, and if so, why?
• When will the certificate be ready, and to whom will it be handed?
• How long will the body stay in the mortuary, and is there a charge?
• Where, and from whom, do I collect the personal belongings?

Write the answers down: in a state of shock, information slips from memory quickly, and you end up asking the same question all over again.

In brief: steps at the hospital

1. Do not go to the clinic alone, and take both identity documents.
2. Talk to the doctor in charge and say goodbye to your loved one if you feel able to.
3. Collect the personal belongings and make a list of them.
4. Find out when the medical certificate will be ready and whether an examination has been ordered.
5. Choose the funeral home yourself and give it the clinic's address and the department.
6. Decide where the farewell will take place: at home or in a hall.
7. Handle registration at the Public Service Hall yourself, or leave it to the funeral home.

Frequently asked questions