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An exchange of identities between two elderly women who live in the house of São Lázaro, in Porto, both infected with the new coronavirus, caused one to be cremated and watched by the family of the other, who was alive after all. The case led the Santa Casa da Misericórdia to open an investigation.
The two old women were the same age, 96 years old, and were admitted to the Santo António Hospital, in Porto, with Covid-19 on the same day. António Tavares, supplier of Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Porto, told TVI that both users “were already in an extreme situation when they went to the hospital ”and“ they could neither speak nor give an account of what was happening, if they changed their name ”.
That is what happened. One of the users, Palmira Godinho, died, but since her identity had been changed, her the body was given to the wrong family – the family of the patient who, after all, was alive and improving from the disease and who all thought she was dead. Family members performed the funeral for someone else and did not realize that due to the pandemic, the coffins are not opened.
We noticed the exchange of identities just as the lady returned home. It did not coincide with the identity of the person who is said to have died ”, explained the provider.
Palmira Godinho’s family believed that the old woman was alive and only found out what happened after the house realized the mistake. The granddaughter, Rute Silva, told CMTV that even the hospital had informed her that her grandmother was “out of danger”, that she had an infection, but that she was “already stable.” “I was very happy,” he said. Later, on November 12, she was even informed that her grandmother “was going to be discharged at the end of the week and that she had already tested negative for Covid-19.” But the next day, Palmira Godinho’s daughter is informed by the house that, after all, the mother was dead and had been buried by another family. The granddaughter called the hospital again and from there, they told her that her grandmother “had just been discharged” – but that information was incorrect.
Now the family wants the ashes returned so they can hold the funeral and put them in the family grave. “It was what she always wanted,” said the granddaughter, noting that the the grandmother did not want to be cremated: “He ended up being treated like I didn’t want to.” The Public Ministry must now attest that Palmira Godinho, after all, is dead.
Santa Casa da Misericórdia has already opened an investigation and changed the institution’s protocol. The Ombudsman explained that the two old women had a document with their identity that would have been exchanged. “While this period lasts [de pandemia] we are going to use a bracelet with the identity because that at least allows those who go to the hospital after cutting the bracelet to confirm the identity of the person, ”António Tavares explained. Also to TVI, the INEM guaranteed that there was no error in the transport of users to the hospital.
