One Covid-19 victim who went missing from the newly-commissioned Global Hub Corona Hospital in Thane, Maharashtra, actually died three days ago, and the hospital, in a major goof-up, handed over the dead body of the 72-year-old Coronavirus victim to another family from Kopri, whos patient was also being treated for coronavirus in the same facility.
As per Janardhan Sonawane’s son, he received a call from the Thane hospital on July 3, informing him that his father had died due to Covid-19. Since the body was wrapped up in plastic and the face was covered, following the Covid-19 protocol, the family, accepted the body thinking it to be of their family member and performed the last rites on July 4.
Two days later the family again received a call from the hospital authorities, which, this time, informed them that Janardhan Sonawane was actually alive and was being treated in the ICU. Thinking it to be a prank the son disconnected the call, but he then received another call from the police station informing him the same. He then went to the hospital and found that his father is indeed alive.
Family mulling legal action against Thane hospital and civic body
On the other hand, the family of the deceased Gaikwad whose body was reportedly cremated in place of Sonawane has accused the hospital staff of covering up the matter. Gaikwad’s son-in-law Ravindra Salvi said: “My father-in-law Bhalchandra Gaikwad was admitted to the hospital on June 29 at 10 pm after he tested positive for COVID-19. He died on July 3. The hospital staff is telling us that on the same day, four people had died and they got a little confused and handed my relative’s body to someone else, who even conducted the last rites. This is really shameful. The hospital is now trying to hush up the matter,” said Gaikwad’s relative mulling legal action against the hospital and civic authorities.
Meanwhile, the hospital claimed that operations are being run with just 30 per cent of the staff and both medical and paramedical personnel are over-stressed.
Similar goof-up by Delhi hospital
Recently, a similar case was reported from Delhi, where the body of Muslim coronavirus victim was cremated by Hindu family and the body of Hindu victim who also died of Covid was given to Muslim family for burial after Delhi AIIMS Trauma Center bundled up and exchanged bodies of two Covid-19 victims.