Stanley Hospital Doctor Issued Memo After Autopsy Body Mix-Up in Chennai

The management of Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai has issued a memo to a forensic doctor following an inquiry into a mortuary mix-up where the wrong body was handed over to a family after postmortem procedures on Sunday. The incident involved the bodies of two teenagers, 19-year-old S Anushya of Arambakkam in Tiruvallur district and 18-year-old P Priyadharshini of Manali.

According to details provided by the city police, Anushya was admitted to the medical college hospital on Friday after trying to end her life, and she passed away while undergoing treatment on Saturday. Priyadharshini also ended her life, and her body was brought to the Stanley hospital on the same day. Both bodies were subsequently kept at the hospital mortuary.

Priyadharshini’s relatives initially identified the body at the mortuary, following which a postmortem examination was conducted. However, at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, hospital staff handed over Anushya’s body to Priyadharshini’s family instead of her own remains.

The mix-up came to light when Priyadharshini’s family began performing the last rites. While conducting the rituals, the family members realised that the body in their possession was not Priyadharshini. They immediately rushed back to the hospital around 4:30 p.m. to return the body and secure Priyadharshini’s remains. Following the mix-up, Anushya’s body was handed over to her parents at around 5:45 p.m. on Sunday evening, according to the police.

In response to the incident, hospital dean Dr A Aravind stated that a memo was issued to an assistant professor of forensic medicine. A team of doctors conducted a detailed inquiry into the mortuary error and submitted an official report on the matter, which was also forwarded to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research.

Explaining how the error occurred, Dr Aravind noted that there was confusion because the age of the two deceased teenagers, their cause of death, and their identification marks were similar. He added that the family members had also misidentified the body. The hospital alerted the police after the body was taken, and law enforcement assisted in rectifying the situation once the mismatch was confirmed.