'Dead' Indian man wakes up minutes before post-mortem

MUMBAI: A 50-year-old man certified as "dead" started breathing as he was being wheeled into the mortuary of Sion hospital for his autopsy on Sunday. The incident, besides highlighting serious protocol lapses, has snowballed into a blame game between the hospital and Sion police.

Eight policemen took Prakash, the homeless man, to the casualty ward of the civic-run hospital on a stretcher at 11.30am.

The police claimed that the casualty medical officer (CMO) certified him as dead, before sending his body to the mortuary for a post-mortem. As the attendants stood near the mortuary elevator, to take him to the first floor where autopsies are carried out, his abdomen started "going up and down". Seeing signs of breathing, the attendants rushed the patient back to the casualty ward.

The CMO who certified him dead resuscitated him. The man was immediately shifted to the medical ICU, where he is recuperating. Dean Dr Suleman Merchant said, "He developed a metabolic disorder with severe electrolyte deficiency and malnutrition due to starvation. His condition is now stable. Often patients with drug and alcohol addiction can go into a state of suspended animation, neither medically dead nor alive."

A probe has been ordered.

The hospital blamed the policemen for rushing the doctor into certifying the patient as dead so that they could head for bandobast duties for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. Merchant said, "The CMO checked the patient for pulse, respiration and heart sound. All vitals were absent. His pupils were fixed and dilated, which could have perplexed the doctor." But an echocardiogram, which could have given a conclusive prognosis, was not done.