Switched father case: Hospital admits responsibility as second man dies

[webfact]

 

A family from Chonburi will have to cremate their father all over again after a horrendous mixup at Pathum Thani Hospital.

 

Hospital chiefs have admitted that there were administrative errors and that the two 65 year old patients in for Covid - Theera and Bunhana - were mixed up. 

 

Picture: Thai PBS

 

Neither patient was able to speak for themselves as they had feeding tubes after their admission in January. When they were transferred from one ward to another the error occurred.

 

The relatives of Theera were called to the hospital after they were told that he was on his deathbed and would soon die. 

 

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But it turned out to be Bunhana and their father had already been cremated after he died earlier.

 

Now Bunhana has also died - he recovered from Covid but died of related illnesses. 

 

So Bunhana's family have received the body for another funeral in Chonburi, reported Thai PBS.

 

While the family of Theera are left with his ashes. 

 

The hospital authorities promised a full investigation in a press conference yesterday, also promising an upgrade on their procedures. 

 

In mitigation they said that Covid had made them three times busier than normal. 

 

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[BobBKK]

Mitigation? I worked in hospitals for 30 years and a simple name tag on the toe of the cadaver suffices. Mistakes can happen but don't make up pathetic excuses just say SORRY. 

[BritManToo]

33 minutes ago, webfact said:

In mitigation they said that Covid had made them three times busier than normal. 

Long COVID made them too stupid to put wrist tags on their patients?

[jacko45k]

What a fiasco......

Next step is one of them turning up at home fit and well!

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Neither patient was able to speak for themselves as they had feeding tubes after their admission in January. When they were transferred from one ward to another the error occurred.

So patients are not given identity wrist bands?

[hotchilli]

20 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

What a fiasco......

Next step is one of them turning up at home fit and well!

Don't even go there... it might just happen yet.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

What a fiasco......

Next step is one of them turning up at home fit and well!

That has happened here too. Someone quite recently showed up in his village and saw a gathering, went to ask what it was about and it was his own funeral.

[BangkokReady]

So, this might be a little out there, but why not give the body to the other family so they can get a funeral?  Kind of like a wife swap, but a bit different.

[BangkokReady]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

That has happened here too. Someone quite recently showed up in his village and saw a gathering, went to ask what it was about and it was his own funeral.

Did they think he was a ghost?