Family arrive to collect body, find daughter alive

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Published Sep 28, 2016

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Johannesburg - A family in Meyerton has been left traumatised after their daughter Tracy Palesa Hugo was wrongly proclaimed dead by Kopanong Hospital in Vereeniging, the Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday.

The party’s health spokesman in Gauteng, Jack Bloom, said a policeman informed the family last week that Hugo, 26, had died in hospital after suffering a stroke.

“On Monday this week, the family arrived with an undertaker to remove the body, and then discovered that she was alive and being treated in a ward. A nurse had told them that Tracy’s body had been wrapped for removal after being declared dead, but then it was discovered she was still alive,” Bloom said.

“It seems that the police were called to inform the family of Tracy’s supposed death because the hospital claimed they did not have a contact number for the family, but the police were never informed later that Tracy was actually alive.”

He said the Hugo family was “immensely traumatised” by what happened and planned to sue the hospital.

“They suffered for five days grieving over Tracy’s death when she was still alive. This is inexcusable negligence by the hospital. An inquiry must be held urgently into this distressing matter, and should make recommendations to ensure that nothing like this happens again in our hospitals.”

The department said Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu apologised to the Hugo family on Tuesday and has further instructed Kopanong Hospital’s management to investigate the incident.

African News Agency

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