By: Nicola Byrne, Valerie Hanley & Michael O’Farrell
A FULL internal review has been ordered at Mullingar Regional Hospital after the family of a person who died of Covid-19 was given the wrong body by the hospital mortuary last weekend.
The family had no idea they had the wrong remains until shortly before the funeral service was due to start.
Because of the virulence of the disease, deceased victims of the new coronavirus are put in a sealed bodybag by morticians and neither families nor undertakers are allowed to view the remains.
Hundreds of mourners were already lining the streets of the deceased’s home town, 2m apart, when the hospital called to say it had released the wrong body the night before.
The mistake was spotted just in time by a mortician when they noticed a bag bearing the deceased person’s name, even though their remains had been signed out.
The hearse was diverted to Mullingar Hospital where the bodies were swapped.
The hospital has apologised to the families of this person and the other deceased person, also a Covid-19 victim.
It comes as the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said yeterday it had been notified that 25 more people with Covid-19 had died. A further 343 cases were confirmed bringing the total to 21,176.
Responding to queries by the Irish Mail on Sunday, a HSE spokesman said: ‘I can confirm that on Friday 24, 2020, an incident occurred in the mortuary of the hospital which resulted in the release of incorrect remains to an undertaker. Following detection, the mistake was rectified.
‘We would like to offer our condolences to the families and sincerely apologise for the distress this has caused during this difficult time.
The spokesman said: ‘The Ireland East Hospital Group, along with Regional Hospital Mullingar, have convened their Serious Incident Management Team and are conducting a full internal review. Processes and protocols have been reviewed within the hospital and its mortuary in order to mitigate this extremely rare event from happening again.’
A mourner, who was one of those lining the streets of the town when the mistake was realised, said: ‘Everybody was very upset at what happened. We were just waiting for the hearse to pass, there were hundreds out and then we began to hear through the grapevine what was after happening. We just couldn’t believe it.
‘It was a desperate thing. These are hard enough times as it is. The fact that the family can’t have the funeral, and then for this to happen. I think it’s everybody’s worst nightmare.
‘The only good thing was that when the mistake was spotted, everybody moved so fast to fix it.’
Another person attending outside the church said the mistake was discovered ’10 minutes to go until the funeral’.
‘Thank God they got the call then,’ he said. The local man said the deceased person had been ill for some time and then developed a Covid infection.
He said the deceased was a lovely person, ‘very kind and [the] family are very well thought of in this area. Everyone feels for them so much about what happened.’
A source who works in undertaking said the incident would make bereaved people very anxious.
‘It happened and it’ll make people very anxious now about whether they’re getting the right bodies.
‘This has already been an issue for families because they can’t see them or kiss them and say goodbye and I know they’ve been wondering. Now they’ll wonder even more.’
The HSE has issued strong recommendations for handling the remains of people who have died from Covid-19. It is believed that the risk of catching the virus from a deceased person is low but real.
‘It is possible that the act of moving a recently deceased individual might be sufficient to expel a very small amount of air and viral droplets from the lungs and thereby present a minor risk,’ says the HSE guide.
‘But after death, the human body does not generally crewith ate a serious health hazard for Covid-19 infection.
‘Consensus opinion is that embalming is not recommended for those with confirmed Covid-19 infection at this time, however, it is acknowledged that this recommendation is different in other jurisdictions.’
In France, embalming is permitted and family members are allowed to view their deceased relatives as long as they respect social distancing.
Churches allow up to 20 people at funerals, but cemeteries generally only permit 10. In the UK, funerals can take place but only immediate family can attend and they must socially distance. Coffins do not need to be closed.
The HSE guide also recommends that full personal protective equipment be worn by anyone handling the body. PPE should even be worn by undertakers collecting remains in a body bag. A face mask should be placed over the mouth of the deceased before lifting the remains into the inner lining of the body bag.
An undertaker source said the protocols were being followed strictly at the hospital.
‘We have to put on the full gear and really we have very little to do with the remains. By the time we arrive, the morticians have already done their bits and pieces. All we can do is check the name tag and we have to trust the morticians for that.’
Another industry source said: ‘Seeing is believing – and it’s an important part of the grieving process. Undertakers are telling people they cannot see their loved ones but in this day and age we have the technology and standards in place to let families see the body.’
