Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jun 19: A significant mix-up occurred when police erroneously informed the family of a patient that he had passed away, even though he was still alive and receiving treatment at the hospital.

Shekar Gowda (55) from the Dharmasthala police jurisdiction was admitted to Wenlock Hospital on June 15 due to severe health issues. There were no relatives present with him at the hospital. The following day, the Dharmasthala police station contacted his relatives, mistakenly informing them that Shekar Gowda had died. However, upon their visit to Wenlock Hospital with the Dharmasthala police, they found that Shekar Gowda was still alive.

Shekar Gowda had been admitted to the hospital in an unconscious state on June 15, and since no heirs were present, the hospital followed protocol and reported the case to the Pandeshwar police station. The report mentioned that the patient was in a critical condition. The police, upon reviewing the report, sent an email to the Beltangady police station, which then forwarded it to the Dharmasthala police station. The report accurately described the patient’s critical or unconscious state. However, an error occurred when the Pandeshwar police typed ‘deceased’ in the subject line of the email.

Upon reading the email’s subject, the Dharmasthala police mistakenly believed that Shekar Gowda had passed away and conveyed this incorrect information to his relatives. Despite the report’s correct mention of his critical condition, the mistake in the email’s subject line caused the confusion, explained Dr Jacinta, the medical superintendent at Wenlock Hospital.