Maharashtra: After morgue body swap, Panvel hospital to rejig SOP

Dr Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Hospital in Panvel; (right) Sushant Malla. Pics/By Special Arrangement

A day after it came to light that Dr Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Hospital in Panvel handed over the wrong body to the family of a deceased person, the facility has launched an in-depth inquiry into the body swap incident and drafting a new SOP to prevent a repeat.

The hospital's Medical Superintendent Dr Ashok Githe said, "A team has been formed to draft a new SOP for the postmortem process so that such incidents do not occur again. Our internal committee is looking into the issue, and appropriate action will be taken," Dr Githe explained.

While the first body was cremated before the mistake came to light, Dr Githe added that the second body the remains of Sushant Malla - was cremated in the presence of both families involved. "The other family also handed over Malla's ashes to his family," Dr Githe added. Kharghar police has registered an ADR, and Panvel City authorities are conducting their own investigations too.