Thangaratnam Thyagarajah, 53, died at the Rashid Hospital in Dubai on Feb 5 following treatment for meningitis.
His body was kept in the morgue as his family could not afford the hospitalisation and repatriation costs.
Thangaratnam’s remains arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 8.55am and were received by his wife Gertrude Anthony, 48.
Also on hand was NGO Malaysian Public Service Association president P Gunaseelan who had helped Gertrude raise funds for her husband’s repatriation, along with Wisma Putra officers.
Gertrude was initially presented a bill for 106,000 dirhams (RM113,000) by the hospital, a sum beyond the means of the kindergarten teacher.
Her appeals to the hospital on humanitarian grounds failed to reduce the amount. Soon, the fees ballooned to almost RM150,000 as the hospital charges storage fees for unclaimed bodies.
Penang-born Thangaratnam was in the Middle East for eight months looking for business opportunities.
MIC president Dr S Subramaniam and former president S Samy Vellu had contributed RM139,000 towards the cost of getting Thangaratnam’s remains released by the hospital and sent back to Malaysia.
Gunaseelan said a wake service for Thangaratnam would be held today from 3pm, with prayers and a service at 8pm at the Gui Yuan Crematorium at Jalan 229, Petaling Jaya.
He will be cremated tomorrow at 2.30pm after a memorial service at the crematorium.
Thangaratnam was diagnosed with meningitis in January and placed in an induced coma. He was declared brain-dead, and died on Feb 5 soon after doctors removed his life-support system.
Body of Malaysian remains in Dubai as widow can’t foot medical bill