'Dead' man who woke up minutes before Indian doctors began an autopsy is declared dead again

An Indian man who shocked hospital staff when he woke up on an autopsy table just before a post-mortem was about to begin has been declared dead again, authorities have revealed.

A hospital doctor in Mumbai mistakenly certified the homeless man, who has been named as Prakash, as dead on Sunday after police found him unconscious and suffering from multiple infections.

Just as the autopsy was about to start, hospital staff were given the fright of their lives when the 45-year-old started breathing. They later rushed him to intensive care.

Police and doctors pointed the finger of blame at each other for the misdiagnosis but were in agreement on Wednesday that the man had succumbed to his infections late on Tuesday.

'Yes, he has died,' Ashok Dudhe, Mumbai Police deputy commissioner said.

A senior doctor at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Mumbai, who asked not be named, said the cause of death would only be known after a post-mortem examination was performed.

Mumbai's police are regularly faced with unclaimed dead bodies and media reports have suggested mortuaries are running out of space to hold the corpses. 

It was originally reported how Chief Medical Officer Dr Rohan Rohekar had allegedly told staff to take the body straight to the morgue, contrary to hospital rules which requires corpses to be held in casualty ward for a two-hour 'cooling off' period in case there is a chance of revival.

But just as the body was being prepared for the post-mortem, two porters were stunned to see him breathing after spotting 'his stomach moving up and down'.

He woke up amid the commotion as staff rushed back to the casualty ward to inform doctors, it was reported by NDTV. 

Senior Police Inspector Yeshudas Gorde said: 'It is a serious case of negligence by the doctor. 

'We were shocked to find patient was alive after he had been declared dead. 

'We have written to the dean of Sion Hospital, asking him to conduct an inquiry and give us the report. 

'Once the report is out, we can take action. The hospital authorities should take action against the person responsible for this incident.' 

Hospital dean, Dr Suleman Merchant, reportedly said it was not unusual for doctors to miss a patient's pulse if the body had suffered shock or trauma.

He said: 'We have reprimanded the doctor and have told him that in such cases the body must be kept in the casualty ward for a cooling off period of two hours.

'This doctor is new to the hospital and so isn't familiar with the procedure.'

Dr Rohekar could not be reached for comment. 

Daily mail