In Jiangsu’s Lianyungang Guanyun County, a man made a video report on September 2, revealing that after his elderly father passed away, the local hospital refused to issue a death certificate and demanded that he first purchase a burial plot before they would provide it. This video report has since garnered widespread attention.
The whistleblower is Wang Hongkai, a villager from Gaohe Village in Xiache Town, Guanyun County, Lianyungang, Jiangsu. According to Wang Hongkai, on the day after his father’s passing on March 5 this year, he went to Baixuan Hospital to obtain a death certificate but was denied. The hospital required him to buy a burial plot first and only then would they issue the death certificate, citing concerns that he might improperly bury or cremate his father.
Due to the necessity of a death certificate for cremation, Wang had to proceed to the local Civil Affairs Office to purchase a burial plot. However, when paying for the plot, he encountered a driver named Gao who demanded 3,800 yuan and provided him with a handwritten receipt instead of an official invoice. The receipt indicated that the payment was made to the Xiache Town Funeral Management Office.
The burial plot purchased by Wang was supposed to be in a public welfare cemetery, usually available free of charge. Wang’s request for an official invoice from Gao was denied, leading him to suspect potential violations of the law or regulations in this transaction.
When asked for a response, Zhang Jun, the head of the Civil Affairs Unit in Xiache Town, only mentioned that the matter was “under process” before hanging up the phone. Staff members of the town government stated that there are several public cemeteries in the area and that further investigation and reporting to higher authorities are required to address this issue.
The exposure of this incident has triggered heated discussion online. Netizens have expressed outrage, commenting: “Unbelievable. How can they resort to such coercive tactics?” “First they exploit the living, now they are preying on the dead.” “With just a bit of power in hand, they won’t even spare the deceased.” “Death has become unaffordable.” “If they want to continue their wrongdoing, they’ll face the consequences!”