Picture: INN

 

A bizarre tale is unfolding in Pathum Thani north of the Thai capital Bangkok after two daughters arrived at hospital to visit their dad on his deathbed and realised it was not him.

 

INN became aware of the story after a Facebook post by a lady called Thusapa or Pat who was looking for her dad who suffers from Alzheimer's.

 

She told reporters that her dad Theera had been in a nursing home for 7 years. In January the family were told of a Covid outbreak at the home and that their dad had been taken to Pathum Thani Hospital.

 

Due to Covid restrictions Pat and her sister were unable to see their dad but they heard he was eating well and were not unduly concerned. 

 

However at the end of January his condition worsened and the family decided to deny requests to have him intubated.

 

By 7th March he was on his deathbed and the family were allowed to spend his last hours with them.

 

But they were in for a terrible shock. When they arrived it was clear that this man was not their dad.

 

She told the nurses of the error but was fobbed off by the staff saying that very sick people are often emaciated and unrecognisable.

 

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Pat said" "Look, I know my own dad". 

 

She took a picture and sent it to the nursing home who agreed that it was not her dad but a man called Bunhana. 

 

Pat contacted Bunhana's family who said that they thought their dad had died in January. He had been cremated at Wat Hong in Pathum Thani and they had never inspected him in the coffin due to Covid restrictions. 

 

Pat and her sister were only 50-50 around their father being the dead man so they pressed the hospital authorities to allow them to put on PPE and look for him in the hospital.

 

They didn't find him. 

 

Now reports have been filed with the police and the Ministry of Public Health is involved. 

 

The family of the missing man - who may or may not be dead - have called for the bones of the man who was cremated to be checked for DNA.

 

The hospital told them this was "difficult".

 

ASEAN NOW notes that we have done a search and it is indeed possible to extract DNA from bone fragments among ashes. 

 

The family of the missing man have promised to take full legal action in the matter. 

 

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Appears to be a case of gross incompetence on many levels and a traumatic event for both families.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

She told the nurses of the error but was fobbed off by the staff saying that very sick people are often emaciated and unrecognisable.

An outstanding example of saving face !!!....

 

Even when presented with someone who wasn’t their father the nurse refused to accept fault and instead told the family they were unable to recognise their own father !!

 

The mind really does boggle... 

 

 

 

Amazing Thailand when my dad passed away I went to the funeral home for a viewing of him in the casket who worked at the funeral home wheels up a casket and then says I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes it’s way far in the back of his big room and he opens the coffin I look at the dead person in the coffin and said hey that’s not my father he then ran around the back of the coffin and looked at the tag and said oh my mistake I’m so sorry your weights has never happened before in about 10 minutes laterHe brought the correct casket for my father’s body in it TIT

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The family of the missing man - who may or may not be dead - have called for the bones of the man who was cremated to be checked for DNA.

The hospital should also check the DNA of the man they thought was Theera and now think was Bunhana.

16 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Appears to be a case of gross incompetence on many levels and a traumatic event for both families.

 

And a general 'not important' attitude, possibly involving chatting with co workers being far more important. 

 

Seen this before with wrong grades being added to the data for a few students.

 

Several times my students appraoched me saying 'Professor, I got A on the grade list you published but when I check my online it shows - , a different grade.

 

I always followed this up by going to the admin senior with:

 

- A copy of the notice I put on the faculty notice board,

- A copy of the e.mail I sent to admin showing all the grades,

- A copy of the screen showing all the grades for the specific student on the uni admin system, highlightin what seemed to be an error.

 

First reaction from admin 'not possible' then further comments 'too late to fix it, go away' and more reactions displaying annoyance at being caught out and just arrogance and laziness.

 

This had happened many times with many professors and previous cases resulted in letters to the Ed. ministry etc., (which achieved nothing) and eventually (where the parents were powerful) the mistake being corrected. But never an apology.

 

And it was easy enough to notice, through the glass walls admin staff updating grades/records etc but much more interested in joking and laughing, and not paying attention to accuracy. 

 

27 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

Amazing Thailand when my dad passed away I went to the funeral home for a viewing of him in the casket who worked at the funeral home wheels up a casket and then says I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes it’s way far in the back of his big room and he opens the coffin I look at the dead person in the coffin and said hey that’s not my father he then ran around the back of the coffin and looked at the tag and said oh my mistake I’m so sorry your weights has never happened before in about 10 minutes laterHe brought the correct casket for my father’s body in it TIT

Having worked in the funeral industry, as well as being a former nurse, I fail to conceive how these mix ups could possibly occur if all procedures were followed. 

7 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Having worked in the funeral industry, as well as being a former nurse, I fail to conceive how these mix ups could possibly occur if all procedures were followed. 

[if all procedures were followed. ]

 

There's the answer... 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Pat contacted Bunhana's family who said that they thought their dad had died in January. He had been cremated at Wat Hong in Pathum Thani and they had never inspected him in the coffin due to Covid restrictions. 

So now they will be paying for a 2nd burning.............

17 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

So now they will be paying for a 2nd burning.............

or perhaps a refund on the first, if indeed there was screw up on the body identification. I feel a large settlement to both families could ease their loss.????

Photo of the old man in OP is missing his ID bracelet.

 

41 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Having worked in the funeral industry, as well as being a former nurse, I fail to conceive how these mix ups could possibly occur if all procedures were followed. 

Agree, BUT subject to the existence of adequate procedures ...

1 hour ago, RJRS1301 said:

Having worked in the funeral industry, as well as being a former nurse, I fail to conceive how these mix ups could possibly occur if all procedures were followed. 

You answered your own statement... "procedures are followed"

1 hour ago, RJRS1301 said:

or perhaps a refund on the first, if indeed there was screw up on the body identification. I feel a large settlement to both families could ease their loss.????

i doubt very much if the bones will have any viable DNA in them due to the destructive nature of heat; however DNA in his teeth (if he had any) will survive.

I'm pretty sure this story has been plagerized from Monty Python. 

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

[if all procedures were followed. ]

 

There's the answer... 

Are procedures ever followed in Thailand for anything. 

Not on your nelly.

2 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Having worked in the funeral industry, as well as being a former nurse, I fail to conceive how these mix ups could possibly occur if all procedures were followed. 

Actually it is relatively easy.  In that here the hospital received a patient and the records showed his  information.  If the home tells you it is person A then the staff will mark the person as person A.

 

The screw up was not at the hospital but at the  nursing home.  Staff obviously had 2 older men that were about the same age and got them confused. 

 

Very easy to do when you remember 3 things

 

1 TIT

2. people in the Nursing homes are not rocket scientists are paid more as caregivers.

 

Follow procedures  SEE NUMBER 1

 

LOL

As to dong a DNA check on the dead person for the hospital it would  be very difficult as they would not have access to the ashes.  The only people that can do the DNA check on the cremated body is the police Forensics.

 

  

1 hour ago, RJRS1301 said:

or perhaps a refund on the first, if indeed there was screw up on the body identification. I feel a large settlement to both families could ease their loss.????

But it was just an honest mistake...

Time to order a couple of fruit baskets I reckon. 

3 hours ago, bobandyson said:

Photo of the old man in OP is missing his ID bracelet.

 

And that's how this whole mess started. Folks with dementia can't ID themselves. 

2 hours ago, biggles45 said:

Time to order a couple of fruit baskets I reckon. 

And look the other when there's details of use by dates.

Quote

 plagerized from Monty Python. 

This isn't our dad!

 

Oh yes it is.

 

No it isn't.

 

Oh yes it is.

 

Is not.

 

Terribly sorry it is.

 

No it isn't.

 

Sure is.

 

We know our own dad.

 

No you don't.

 

We do.

 

You don't.

 

We do, we know our own dad.

 

Terribly sorry but you don't. 

Come on guys this things happen in the west as well how many times got babies mixed up in hospitals

7 hours ago, bobandyson said:

Photo of the old man in OP is missing his ID bracelet.

 

Oh come on... its much worse than that....  He’s not wearing a mask  !!!....   

 

 

 

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Even when presented with someone who wasn’t their father the nurse refused to accept fault and instead told the family they were unable to recognise their own father !!

How is it the nurse's fault?

11 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

Actually it is relatively easy.  In that here the hospital received a patient and the records showed his  information.  If the home tells you it is person A then the staff will mark the person as person A.

 

The screw up was not at the hospital but at the  nursing home.  Staff obviously had 2 older men that were about the same age and got them confused. 

 

Very easy to do when you remember 3 things

 

1 TIT

2. people in the Nursing homes are not rocket scientists are paid more as caregivers.

 

Follow procedures  SEE NUMBER 1

 

LOL

As to dong a DNA check on the dead person for the hospital it would  be very difficult as they would not have access to the ashes.  The only people that can do the DNA check on the cremated body is the police Forensics.

 

  

And end up with the same forensics team as the “experts” used in Koh Tao.!!!????????????

19 hours ago, webfact said:

it was clear that this man was not their dad.

From their infrequent visits and denial of intubation, I'll bet the family were extremely disappointed.