Wrong body given at Kadakkal taluk hospital

NILAMEL: Two employees have been suspended for handing over the wrong dead bodies to relatives at the Kadakkal taluk hospital mortuary. The body of Vamadevan (68) of Gokulam, Vacheekonam, Kadakkal was given instead of the body of Rajendran, a resident of Kadakkal. Health Minister Veena George sought an explanation from the hospital superintendent. Grade 2 employee Ranjini and nurse Uma were suspended pending investigation.

Vamadevan, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, died last day. The body was kept in the Kadakkal Taluk Hospital Mortuary. Yesterday morning, relatives came and received the body and brought it home. The brothers noticed that the wrong body was given when it was taken out of the ambulance. When the relatives returned to the hospital with the dead body, a clash broke out, but the Kadakkal police brought the situation under control. Later, the relatives took Vamadevan's body home and cremated it.

The hospital superintendent said that a report has been submitted to the district medical officer and further investigation will be conducted.

The body was shown to relatives. As Vamadevan was on a ventilator for a long time, his relatives could not recognize him at a glance. That is the reason for the mixup.

-Hospital Superintendent

Relatives had gone out to buy cloth and other things to cover the dead body. They were not allowed to enter the mortuary afterward. The hospital authorities adopted the approach of blaming us.

-Relatives