Tamil Nadu woman declared dead by government hospital found alive

COIMBATORE: Confusion prevailed at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on Friday after a 65-year-old woman declared dead by the hospital was found alive and well at her home in Pollachi.
The patient, Aritha Begum, had suffered a minor injury after she was stabbed by her son-in-law Mohammed Yusuf, police sources said. “Yusuf, who is addicted to alcohol, attacked his wife Sairabanu, 35, on Thursday night. When Aritha tried to intervene and calm her son-in-law, he stabbed her in the stomach. Sairabanu suffered a minor injury to her hand. Both of them rushed to the Pollachi Government Hospital for first aid, from where Aritha was referred to CMCH for a scan,” a sub-inspector at the Pollachi East station said.
Aritha was admitted in CMCH around 11.30am. “The scan didn’t find anything wrong. As the injury was not troubling her, Aritha returned home without informing anyone,” the officer said. However, at 6,30pm, police received a message from the hospital stating that Aritha had passed away at 6.30pm. “We felt something was wrong because she had only a non-threatening injury. When we contacted the family, Aritha picked up the call and said she was at home and was feeling alright,” the officer added.
When police contacted them, CMCH authorities admitted it was a mistake. “The staff nurse, who was managing patient records and updates, found the bed empty and mistook it for another patient, who had died a few hours earlier. So, she recorded it as ‘death’ instead of ‘absconding’. We have rectified the mistake,” resident medical officer Dr A Soundaravel said.