Grieving Durban family stunned as hospital orders body back mid-funeral for post-mortem

A grieving Chatsworth family say they were left traumatised after being told to return their loved one’s body to hospital for a post-mortem — while the funeral was already under way.

The Sunday Tribune reported that Poonsamy “Dino” Naicker, 53, died last Monday at St Augustine’s Hospital in Durban. His funeral was held on Wednesday at the Woodhurst Multicultural Hall, but the service was interrupted when hospital staff called, instructing the family to bring back the body for further examination.

Naicker’s brother, Gringo, said the request came as a shock. He explained that the family had been informed of Dino’s death shortly after arriving at the hospital on Monday, with doctors initially stating that he had died of natural causes. The following day, a nurse told them that while two doctors had signed off on this conclusion, a third disputed it, claiming the death was “unnatural.”

Despite already finalising funeral arrangements, the family was informed during the service that the death certificate could not be issued due to conflicting medical opinions. They were told the body needed to be returned for a post-mortem before cremation could proceed.

The Naickers complied, taking the coffin back to the hospital and waiting outside the mortuary. Gringo said hospital management did not meet with the family and their attempts to speak with the doctor who challenged the cause of death left them even more upset. The post-mortem was eventually conducted on Thursday, after which the body was released for cremation.

Dino had spent about seven weeks in hospital, initially for a foot wound that required surgery. He later developed complications, including an eye artery rupture that left him blind in one eye, and was moved to intensive care after contracting a hospital-acquired infection.

Gringo said the ordeal compounded the family’s grief, particularly for their 80-year-old mother, Dino’s wife, and his two children. He accused the hospital of mishandling the process, claiming the body was released to the funeral parlour without proper notification of a pending post-mortem.

St Augustine’s Hospital general manager, Heinrich Venter, told the Sunday Tribune that the facility had explained the requirements under the National Health Act when the family first requested the release of the remains, noting that the necessary paperwork had not been completed by the treating doctor.

He added that the funeral parlour and family were reminded of this the day before the funeral. Under the Act, if a body is released under the assumption of a natural death and later deemed to require a post-mortem, it can be recalled by legal authorities.

Venter acknowledged the distress such situations cause and said the hospital had engaged with the family and offered counselling as a compassionate measure.

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