Mixed up at Maharashtra hospital, bodies with similar names identified by moustache right before cremation

Owing to confusion at a hospital in Raigad district of Maharashtra, relatives of two dead people with similar names ended up in possession of wrong bodies right up until cremation. Moustaches on the bodies “swapped” at MGM hospital helped relatives identify Ramakant Patil (62) from Ram Patil (66) after they grew suspicious.

TN Viral Desk

Updated Sep 29, 2022, 19:58 IST

Raigad-based MGM hospital mixes up bodies with similar names, relatives identify deceased through moustache | Representative image

Photo : iStock

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

While Ramakant's family suspected the moustache seemed different, Ram's relatives too found something "amiss".
Both the families reached the hospital and alleged a mix-up by the staff.
A similar incident happened in Coimbatore earlier this year.

Maharashtra: Owing to confusion at a hospital in Raigad district of Maharashtra, relatives of two dead people with similar names ended up in possession of wrong bodies right up until cremation. Moustaches on the bodies “swapped” at MGM hospital helped identify one from the other after the relatives grew suspicious.

While blood pressure and diabetes were determined to be the cause of death of Alibag resident Ramakant Patil (62) at MGM hospital, kidney and liver issues are said to be the reason Ram Patil (66), of Panvel, died at the same facility in Kalamboli town, according to media reports.

"Relatives of Ramakant Patil, just before the cremation, realised that the body's moustache was different. The hospital was contacted but the staffers there refused to admit any goof-up," a relative told PTI.

Ram Patil’s family, too, felt something was “amiss” and headed to the hospital where the relatives of the deceased person (handed over to them) were present.

However, denying all allegations of a mix-up in a statement, the hospital management said the relatives were shown the bodies before they accepted them.

In a similar incident in April, two bereaved families in Coimbatore found out the body of their deceased loved ones had been exchanged at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) before being given to them.

Moments before the last rites of Madeswaran, 42, the family with his body made out that their relative, J Satish Kumar, had been mistakenly handed over to another family.

The hospital, however, blamed the police for transporting the bodies in wrong ambulances.

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