Compulsory ‘Hauskrai’ insurance called for

Caption 1:  NCD Governor Powes Parkop.

Caption 2:  Minister for Religion, Youth and Community Development, Delilah Gore.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, August 17, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

GOVERNOR for National Capital District, Powes Parkop, has called for the Government to consider the formulation of compulsory insurance to cover for funeral costs of citizens.

He made the remarks when referring to the immense burden placed on both elected leaders and those of families bearing the cost of inevitable deaths in the country.

He leveled queries to the Minister for Religion, Youth and Community Development, Delilah Gore on the issue, while praising the efforts of her department in addressing areas of various amendment and acts recently regarding family, marriages, women, and children.

“The fact is one law they have forgotten and it has been a burden to us here and those outside is that that they have forgotten Death,” Governor Parkop said.

“We will all die, yet we all do not have a plan for death. There is no law to regulate death. So now in the country people are dying and it is a burden for all of us.”

“Here in Port Moresby I receive around 10 requests for hauskrai (houses for mourning).”

He said with more people in the country not conscious of their lifestyles- deaths were occurring to citizens with a heavy burden.

“When they die we are being placed with the burden as their members and their families also. We are being irresponsible, so it is about time we regulate it and find some way to bring responsibility to our people.”

“My question is that is the department thinking of making a law that we can at least think of basic funeral expense. We must have compulsory insurance for that.”

“Everyone in Papua New Guinea, they must have insurance to meet the coffin, freight, buriers, pigs and other costs,” he said.

Minister Gore concurred with the governor, adding that all members were affected in one way or another to assist, which she said would have an impact on service deliveries focus.

“I believe the hauskrai request expenses is affecting most of us leaders and I am sure we are meeting a lot of expenses on hauskrai and we will miss focus on real service delivery,” the minister said.

“Really we do not have laws that regulate how to look after hauskrai- but we have insurance that only covers those that are in the workforces that covers but we do not have insurance that covers citizens of this country.”

“The query is valid and I will relay to the officials in my department and we will discuss further on that and I want to thank him for raising the issue.”

She also added that she was aware of plans by the governor to come up with a policy to use in the capital, which she said could be looked at.

“Our people need to be looked after through regulations that we can attend to such things. We must do policies in that regard and this is one we will discuss.”