Mumbai: In yet another incident showing gross negligence and carelessness of concerned authorities, a 50-year-old homeless man was mistakenly declared dead by a senior doctor at the Sion Hospital here and sent immediately to the mortuary - against hospital rules.
Reports on Tuesday said that the doctor in question also allegedly destroyed all records of the incident in an effort to cover up his mistake.
The man, who was later identified as Prakash, was brought to the hospital after the Sion police received a call about an old man lying unconscious at the ST bus depot at Sulochna Shetty Marg.
Shortly upon his arrival, he was examined by Chief Medical Officer Dr Rohan Rohekar, who was on duty at the time. He immediately declared the man dead after checking his pulse and ordered him to be sent to the mortuary.
As per the hospital rules, patients pronounced dead are supposed to be kept on the ward for two hours, also known as cooling period, in case the doctor has made an error.
Doctors at the Sion hospital were also quoted as saying the man had a metabolic disorder and was delirious when police brought him in.
Dr Suleman Merchant, the dean of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, was quoted as saying, “Prakash was an alcoholic who had neglected himself and had maggots on his face and ears.”
"Maggots eat human tissues. Usually dead bodies have maggots. He must have been lying around for at least six or seven days," Dr Merchant added.
The Sion hospital authorities have, meanwhile, launched an inquiry into the breach of protocol that led Prakash to be taken immediately to the mortuary.
Prakash is in a stable condition in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit where he is being treated for an ear infection and malnourishment, said reports.
