In a major goof-up, the authorities of Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Alappuzha, incorrectly notified the family of a man from Bharanikavu, admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, that he had died.
According to sources, a person named Ramanan, 72, of Krishnapuram died on Friday afternoon. The MCH authorities intimated his relatives about his death, but also wrongly informed the family of a person from Bharanikavu with the same name. The relatives of Ramanan from Bharanikavu reached the hospital on Saturday morning to receive the body and cremate it, only to find that he is alive.
In a connected incident, the MCH authorities Friday mistakenly handed over the body of Ramanan to another family. “Both Ramanan and Kumaran, the latter from Cherthala, died at the MCH on Friday. Kumaran’s family was wrongly given the body of Ramanan. When Ramanan’s relatives reached the hospital to take the body, it was nowhere to be seen. When informed about the mix-up, the relatives of Kumaran brought Ramanan’s body back to the MCH on Friday night and returned with Kumaran’s body. Ramana’s body was later handed over to his relatives,” said a source.
Minister orders probe
Meanwhile, Health Minister Veena George has ordered a probe into the incidents. In August the MCH hit headlines, also for wrong reasons, after it failed to inform relatives about two patients’ deaths.
