Tamil Nadu: Patients’ bodies swapped at Cuddalore hospital

CUDDALORE: The bodies of a Covid-19 patient and an infection free patient were swapped at Cuddalore government general hospital due to a mistaken identity by the kin of one patient and failure of the hospital staff in following the procedure.
Sources in the health department said Zakir Hussain, 60, of a village near Bhuvanagiri and Arumugam of a village near Panruti, who were admitted to the corona ward, died on Monday.The hospital authorities shifted the bodies to the mortuary. Later, the test results of Arumugam returned negative for Covid-19. By then, the authorities had handed over the body of Zakir Hussain to relatives of Arumugam, who performed the last rites.
Zakir Hussain’s family members were proceeding to their native village with a body when one of them noticed that it was not of Zakir. They returned to the hospital and picked an argument with the staff, who realised their mistake and alerted Arumugam’s relatives. Officials from the police, revenue and health departments exhumed Zakir Hussain’s body and handed it over to his family, while that of Arumugam was given to his family.