COIMBATORE: In a bizarre mix-up of patient files, a 63-year-old man from Pollachi, who was reported dead at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), leading his family to take the the wrong 'unknown body' for last rites on Monday, until a video surfaced proving he was alive.
Following the confusion, the body, which had been mistakenly handed over was taken back to CMCH. Sources said the mix-up was caused by errors in recording the patient's identity by the police and confirming the identities by the family members.
The family, who were preparing his last rites, confirmed it was not him and returned it to the hospital with police assistance.
According to sources, Maruthamuthu (63), a resident of Rajendrapuram near Bethanaickenur, Kottoor in Pollachi, was allegedly found unconscious on Friday and was rushed to the Pollachi Government Hospital. After treatment, he regained consciousness and allegedly escaped the hospital without informing anyone.
Meanwhile, police personnel had collected only his son's contact number, which was erroneously noted in the file of another patient who resembled Maruthamuthu and was also undergoing treatment at Pollachi GH.
While referring the unidentified patient to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), the contact details of Maruthamuthu's family was attached to the wrong file due to which Maruthamuthu's family was informed of the unidentified person's death on Saturday.
On Monday, the police and Maruthamuthu's family, who came to receive the body did not raise any objections, as the face was partially covered with a cloth and the identities were similar. The family prepared for the final rites at their native place, believing the body to be Maruthamuthu's.
However, a relative who was about to attend the funeral accidentally spotted Maruthamuthu walking on the road near Samathur, carrying a tea parcel. The relative recorded a video of him and sent it to the family, urging them to stop the funeral. They immediately halted the rituals after realising they had received the wrong body, and returned the unknown deceased's body to CMCH that evening through the police.
Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of CMCH, Saravanapriya, told TNIE that the family members who identified the body and the police personnel investigating the case were responsible for the confusion.
"We perform autopsies for several unknown medico-legal cases and hand over the bodies to the respective police stations, who then hand them over to the families. Even if a body is mistakenly taken away and returned to CMCH, the police should raise a requisition to preserve the body for a few days until the identity can be traced," she said.