THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed an Ernakulam-based hospital to pay Rs 25 lakh compensation for releasing the wrong dead body from their mortuary that was cremated by another family before actual heirs could pay last rites. The complaint was filed by P.R. Jayasree and P.R. Rani, the daughters of deceased Purushothaman, a retired district registrar, who was undergoing nephrology treatment at Ernakulam Medical Center Hospital for three years.
During the course of dialysis in December 2009, he developed a cardiac issue and passed away. Since his daughters were out of town, the hospital official placed the body in a freezer. Meanwhile, the body of a similar looking man named Lt Col AP Kanthy, was kept in the same mortuary. Four of Kanthy’s relatives wrongly identified the body of Purushothaman, as theirs as it looked similar with a white beard. The body was cremated at Pachalam.
Purushothaman’s relatives raised the alarm when they found the wrong body in the freezer. Also, Udayakanthi, son of Mr Kanthy, accepted the mistake and took his father’s body to native place at Thiruvananthapuram and cremated it. Purushothaman’s family moved Ernakulam Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum demanding Rs one crore compensation.
They argued that hospital staff had carelessly committed this error in spite of name tags and details being affixed to both bodies. Consumer Forum directed the hospital to pay Rs 25 lakh compensation and the state commission upheld the decision. It also observed that the family’s loss cannot be estimated in terms of money. Advocates S. Raghukumar and B. Ajaykumar appeared on behalf of the daughters.
