Declared Dead, 80-Year-Old Man Breathes Minutes Before Postmortem At Rewa Hospital; Rushed To ICU

Declared Dead, 80-Year-Old Man Breathes Minutes Before Postmortem At Rewa Hospital; Rushed To ICU

An 80-year-old patient at Rewa Medical College was found alive after being erroneously declared dead, triggering fresh controversy at the hospital. Girja Prasad’s family reportedly noticed he was breathing before a postmortem could take place. He was rushed back to the critical care ICU and is currently undergoing treatment on a ventilator.

Staff ReporterUpdated: Saturday, September 05, 2026, 11:24 PM IST
Declared Dead, 80-Year-Old Man Breathes Minutes Before Postmortem At Rewa Hospital; Rushed To ICU
Declared Dead, 80-Year-Old Man Breathes Minutes Before Postmortem At Rewa Hospital; Rushed To ICU | Representative image

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Close on the heels of the controversy over the death of a woman and her newborn, an uproar erupted again at Rewa Medical College on Saturday after a patient who was declared dead was found alive before a postmortem could be conducted.

An 80-year-old critically ill patient, Girja Prasad, who had been erroneously declared dead in hospital records, was found breathing by his family before a postmortem or funeral could take place.

Prasad was admitted in critical condition. On the evening of Sep 4, hospital staff mistakenly updated his records to indicate that he had died.

Paramedical staff immediately rushed him back to the critical care ICU, where he is undergoing emergency treatment under close observation.

Doctors termed it a highly unusual medical oversight. The SDM visited the hospital to gather details.

Rewa Collector Narendra Kumar Suryavanshi told Free Press, "An MBBS Part I student examined the patient and found him dead, but later he was found alive. Currently, he is undergoing treatment and is on a ventilator."