New Delhi: In a shocking case of negligence by the reputed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, the bodies of two COVID-19 victims were allegedly swapped and handed over to the wrong families.
According to reports, the two women had died due to COVID-19 while undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, following which the bodies were swapped and given to the wrong families.
The two women were from different religions, and unfortunately, the final rites of one victim had already been conducted as per the other religion's customs before the mix-up came to light.
A Muslim woman from Bareilly had been admitted to the hospital on July 4. After testing positive for COVID-19, she died late on the night of July 6.
While the family received the body at a cemetery in Delhi, they realised that it belonged to someone else.
It then came to light that the Muslim family was handed over the body of a Hindu victim, while the body of their kin was handed over to a Hindu family. Unfortunately, the Hindu family had already cremated the Muslim victim by the time the mix-up came to light.
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"They informed us at around 2 am (July 7) that she had died at 11.10 pm the previous night. They asked us to go to the cemetery and said that they would hand over the body there. I requested them to at least show me the face as I am the victim's brother, but they refused," said the brother of the Muslim victim.
It was only six months back that the woman had lost her husband. Now, due to the authorities' negligence, her three orphaned children could not even catch a final glimpse of their deceased mother.
Further, the family of the victim filed a complaint at the local police station against the negligence of the authorities. The family also claimed that they were threatened by the security guard when they wanted to speak to the authorities about the mix-up.
Meanwhile, AIIMS official Dr Sanjeev Lalwani admitted that the swapping of bodies indeed had taken place. He said that the hospital has launched a departmental inquiry into the matter and added that strict action will be taken against the staff responsible for the mix-up.
"We are trying to improve the system. I stand with the family in their hour of grief," he said.
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