Family Gets Wrong Body In Mix-up At MGM Hospital

WARANGAL: In a shocking incident at Hanamkonda’s Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, mortuary staff allegedly handed a family the wrong body, sparking accusations of gross negligence and questions about hospital protocols. The mix-up came to light when the family of 55-year-old Goka Kumaraswamy of Velikatta village, Thorrur mandal, Mahbubabad district, noticed during funeral preparations that the body bore a tattoo not matching theirs, and immediately returned it to the MGM mortuary.

The confusion began on July 9, when railway police brought an injured person found on tracks in Warangal to MGM Hospital. Around the same time, Kumaraswamy, unconscious after an accident on the Warangal–Khammam highway, was admitted as well. The railway-injured patient died on July 10, but was mistakenly identified by outpost police as Kumaraswamy and reported to Thorrur police.

Late that night, police informed Kumaraswamy’s wife, Rama, that her husband had died. The next morning, she and her relatives retrieved the body from the mortuary and transported it by ambulance to their village. Only then did they notice the mismatched tattoo.

Hospital officials state that four post-mortems were performed that day, which may have contributed to the error. They add that the body was released following family identification and consent. After the family returned the body, Kumaraswamy, who was in the hospital, regained consciousness and was identified by his relatives.

Local police have launched an investigation, and are now working to establish the identity of the unidentified deceased.