Noida hospital puts patient's dead body in freezer, 'forgets' about it for 17 days

The body of a 70-year-old patient was left unattended for 17 days in a mortuary at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, prompting Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak to order an investigation into the incident.

The patient was admitted to the GIMS on July 22 after a brain stroke and passed away on September 23 after which the body was shifted to the mortuary. The person who brought the patient to the hospital remained inaccessible during the entire course of treatment, the GIMS said in a statement.

However, earlier this week it came to light that the body was kept unattended in the mortuary for 17 days and the state government took note of the incident, with Pathak, also the health minister, on Thursday ordering an investigation into the whole episode.

"A serious case of (hospital authorities) forgetting a body after keeping it in a freezer for 17 days has come to light at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences in Greater Noida Noida. Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak has taken cognizance of this highly sensitive incident. Orders have been given to investigate the matter.

"Instructions have also been given to the principal secretary of the Medical Education Department to seek clarification from the director of GIMS," according to a state government statement.

"The institute staff had carelessly kept the body in the freezer for 17 days and forgot about it. Deputy CM Pathak said the entire incident will be investigated and strict action will be taken against those responsible,” the statement added.

The GIMS said the person who got the patient admitted to the hospital could not be contacted over the phone despite several calls made to him and eventually it informed the officials of the local Kasna police station about it.

"The entire treatment for over two months was provided free of cost to the patient and teams from multiple departments were looking after this patient," the hospital said.

"There are three destitute patients admitted in the hospital, which are left by the police or some attendants and it is very difficult to manage these patients for their day-to-day care and disposal,” the hospital added.