Information for the relatives of a deceased person

You can spend some time with your loved one on the ward immediately after they have died. If you do not have the opportunity to do so, our hospitals have chapel premises where you can say goodbye to your loved one. 

We encourage relatives to only agree on one single viewing appointment. You can make an appointment by calling our switchboard on 09 4711. The switchboard will direct you to the correct location.

A viewing of the deceased can also be arranged in the hospital’s chapel room when the funeral home of your choice is coming to collect the deceased.

Please do not wear fragrances in our facilities.

You can have a short prayer moment after the death of a loved one, in the patient room immediately following the death or, alternatively, at a viewing or when the funeral home is collecting the deceased from the hospital. 

If you wish to have a hospital chaplain present during the prayer moment, please arrange this separately with the chaplain. If necessary, you can obtain the contact details of the hospital chaplain from the ward where the deceased was being treated.

See also: Hospital chaplains at HUS hospitals

The property belonging to the deceased is handed over to a relative or a loved one on the ward where the deceased was being treated.

A medical or forensic autopsy is sometimes necessary to establish the cause of death. 

Medical autopsy

• A medical autopsy requires the consent of the next of kin. The physician or nurse who treated the patient will ask your permission for a medical autopsy.
• The attending physician will write the death certificate after the autopsy findings are completed.
• A medical autopsy is performed at the pathology laboratory in Meilahti or Jorvi Hospital.

Forensic autopsy

• If a forensic autopsy is carried out on the deceased, the police or the physician who treated the person will inform you.
• The police makes the decision on whether a forensic autopsy is necessary.
• For a forensic autopsy, the deceased will be transferred to the Forensic Medicine Unit in the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in Helsinki (in Finnish).
• The police who issued the order will inform the relatives about the investigation into the cause of death.

The transfer of the deceased for an autopsy is free of charge for the relatives.

The burial permit is delivered from the ward or the forensic pathologist’s office to the funeral director, usually the funeral home.

The death certificate is written by the physician who treated the deceased or the forensic pathologist. It is sent from the hospital or the forensic pathologist’s office to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (formerly the local register office) for registration in the Population Information System. 

Information about the death is transmitted to the official registers via the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

We recommend contacting the deceased’s religious or belief community and funeral home as soon as possible after the death. 

You can make an initial agreement with them about the burial, even if the burial permit has not yet been issued. 

You can plan the funeral to take place 2 to 3 weeks after death.

You can obtain information about burial from the parish office of the deceased’s municipality of residence or from the parish funeral services. If you belong to another community, you can contact your community to set up funeral arrangements.

As a rule, the body of the deceased is stored in the refrigeration room of the hospital where the death occurred. The transporting and storage of the deceased on the hospital premises are free of charge for the relatives. 

The deceased is released after the burial permit has been issued. The funeral home chosen by the relatives of the deceased will arrange the transfer with the hospital. 

Deceased persons who have undergone a forensic autopsy are released from the forensic pathologist’s office.

For more information on the deceased’s treatment fees and payment terms, as well as on issues related to the payment cap, please refer to Client fees page.

On the Suomi.fi website you will find a guide Death of a close family member - What do I do?

This guide helps relatives with funeral arrangements, estate inventory and other matters concerning the death of a family member. It also gives advice on where to get support for your grief.