Jaundice patient declared dead wakes up before funeral; doctor served notice

Thane: In a shocking incident straight out of a movie, a 64-year-old man who was declared dead by a laparoscopic surgeon at a private hospital in Ulhasnagar in Thane district suddenly began breathing and woke up just as his family was preparing for his final rites. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where he regained consciousness 30 minutes later.

The surgeon cum owner of the Shivneri Hospital located in Ulhasnagar, Dr Prabhu Ahuja has been issued a show cause notice by the health department of the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) after taking took suo motu cognizance of the matter on Monday. 

In the notice, the doctor has been asked to provide a satisfactory explanation for declaring a living person dead without conducting a proper medical examination. Authorities have stated that if his response is found unsatisfactory, a committee will be formed to investigate the matter. If he is found guilty, his licence can be cancelled.

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It has been reported that the doctor quickly issued a death certificate without bringing the man inside the hospital or conducting a proper medical examination to confirm his death. Believing he had passed away, the family began preparations for his last rites, only to find the man alive and gaining consciousness shortly afterwards.

As per Hindustan Times news report, the incident occurred on Thursday night when Abhiman Girdhar Tayde, who was receiving treatment for jaundice at JJ Hospital in Mumbai, suddenly collapsed at his residence. Alarmed, his son Sachin Tayde and other family members rushed him to Shivneri Hospital in an autorickshaw. There, Dr Ahuja examined him briefly while he was still in the vehicle and pronounced him dead.

Tayade’s family took the ‘body’ home and began preparations for the funeral. However, before the rituals could begin, a relative noticed Tayade’s abdomen moving slightly. The family was shocked to realise he was breathing. They shifted him to Criticare Hospital, where doctors confirmed that Tayade was alive and began treatment. Tayade later regained consciousness within 30 minutes. 

Later, Sachin confronted Dr Ahuja, requesting a written death certificate to expose his misdiagnosis. Without hesitation, the doctor issued the certificate, unaware that his patient was, in fact, alive and recovering.

Following the incident, the family did not file a complaint against the doctor, but the UMC took suo motu action and issued a show cause notice to the doctor. The senior citizen is currently out of danger and recovering from jaundice. 

When asked about his misdiagnosis, Dr Ahuja admitted his mistake and apologised. He told media persons that when the relatives brought the patient, he saw that he was unconscious and there was no sound coming from his heart or body. At that time, due to the construction work going on nearby, he could not hear properly due to the loud noise, which led to the misdeclaration.

Dr Mohini Dharma, health officer, told TOI, "In this case, we haven't received any complaint from the Tayde family, but as suo moto, we have served notice to Dr Ahuja asking him to give clarification on the entire issue. If the clarification is not satisfactory, then we will form a committee who will probe the entire case, and as per the findings, further action will be taken."

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