JAIPUR: A private hospital in Jaipur allegedly handed the wrong body to a bereaved family on Saturday, with the mix-up coming to light only after the relatives had travelled around 20 km towards Nawan in Didwana-Kuchaman district. The incident triggered a nearly two-hour protest outside the hospital, following which an FIR was registered.
ACP Shivdayal Bajiya said Girdhari Lal, 53, of Nawan, and Ghesa Lal of Bansur in Kotputli-Behror district had been admitted to the hospital on September 17. Both died on Friday night.
When Girdhari Lal’s relatives arrived at the hospital on Saturday morning to collect his body, staff allegedly handed them the body of Ghesa Lal. The family left for Nawan in an ambulance without realising the mistake.
Jawahar Circle SHO Mahesh Chand said the hospital realised the error after the ambulance had travelled around 20 km and contacted the family, asking them to return. The family brought the body back, following which the two bodies were handed over to their respective families.
Girdhari Lal’s relatives accused the hospital of negligence and staged a nearly two-hour protest outside its premises. They also alleged that police initially refused to register their complaint. Police from Jawahar Circle police station later reached the spot and held talks with the protesters.
An FIR was subsequently registered following the intervention of Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal. Police said an investigation was underway to determine how the wrong body was released.
Rajveer Singh, spokesperson for the Hospital Nursing Society, said hospitals follow a prescribed procedure for handing over bodies. He said the ambulance assigned to take Girdhari Lal’s body to Nawan was mistakenly loaded with another patient's body.
Singh said the lapse could have occurred during the identification process or at the level of a Class IV employee or the ambulance driver. The hospital has constituted an internal committee to investigate the incident and fix responsibility.