An investigation has been launched by NHS Lanarkshire after the wrong body was removed from Hairmyres Hospital for burial.
That has led to the immediate sacking of a Fosters Funeral Directors employee for gross misconduct.
The error happened last month when the funeralcare worker took the wrong person from the morgue at the hospital to the funeral home.
It is understood the deceased was not taken to the Fosters funeral parlour in East Kilbride.
When the staff member realised their mistake, they returned the deceased to the hospital before collecting the correct individual for burial preparation.
A source told the East Kilbride News: “I’ve been told, but can’t confirm, the correct deceased that should have been collected was a woman and the person collected was a man.”
A spokeswoman for Fosters would not be drawn on specifics regarding the case, but said: “We have strict identification procedures in place with checks at various stages.
“As soon as the deceased arrived at our own mortuary we immediately notified the hospital and rectified the situation.”
A spokesman for the health board confirmed the incident and that an investigation was underway.
He added: “We have strict processes in place for the receipt of bodies to ensure the dignity of the dead is maintained at all times.
“We are not in a position to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, however, we are in the process of investigating the matter.”
A source said the moral question now attached was should the families of both deceased be informed of the error, or would that cause additional and unnecessary distress.
The spokeswoman for Fosters would not be drawn on that matter, nor would the health board.
MSP Linda Fabiani said she expected the health board to treat the matter with “sensitivity”.
She added: “Of course robust checks and balances must be in place, and part of the investigation must be to test that this is absolutely the case.”
