Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has initiated an inquiry against the mortuary staff of the King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital after two bodies were swapped on Friday.
According to the hospital, the body swap was a result of incorrect tagging and improper verification of by the nurse at KEM Hospital.
Strict action will be taken, ensures official
“There will be an inquiry into this matter and strict action will be taken against the guilty,” said additional municipal commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar.
Cerry Road resident Ram Sajan Jaiswal (75) was admitted to KEM Hospital on Thursday with complaint of breathing issues. Mr Jaiswal passed away on Friday morning. The same morning, Nalla Sopara resident Chandrakant Gunaji Jadhav (57) also passed away.
Both patients had been admitted to the same ward and both bodies were tagged by the same nurse before being sent to the mortuary, said a senior official of the hospital. However, Mr Jadhav’s family took away the body of Mr Jaiswal and when the latter’s family came to claim the body they identified that it was not that of their relative.
“Mr Jaiswal’s family informed the Bhoiwada police station and later informed the Nalla Sopara police about the exchange. The body was brought back on Friday night at 10 pm and handed over to the respective families,” said the official.
“When we came to the hospital to take the body, we were told that the body was in the mortuary. We went to the mortuary and completed the formalities. After that, we realized that the body was not that of Mr Ram Jaiswal,” said Mr Akhilesh Jaiswal, a nephew of the deceased.
“We informed the hospital authorities and learnt that the body that we had come for was mistakenly handed over to the other family. This mistake has disturbed our family. Finally, at night my uncle's body was brought back and handed over to us,” Mr Jaiswal said.
This is not the first time that such an incident has taken place in civic hospitals. Similar incidents had occurred at Sion Hospital in 2020 and at KEM Hospital in 2002.
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