Phenomenal incident – ‘Dead woman’ wakes up at Phoenix mortuary

In a truly astonishing turn of events, a dead woman woke up at the Phoenix mortuary, raising serious concerns about the alleged negligence of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Constantia Junior Govender, a 52-year-old resident of Phoenix, has come forward with her harrowing experience, accusing the government healthcare facility of a grave error. According to Tabloid Newspapers, Govender said she was going to visit a friend when she suddenly lost consciousness on the road. To her utter disbelief, she later regained consciousness at the mortuary, lying there naked, cold, and covered with a sheet intended for the deceased.

Recounting the bewildering incident, Govender shared her account. On that fateful day, instead of heading to her usual monthly health check-up at Gandhi Hospital, she had a social visit planned. Instead, she suddenly blacked out as she strolled along the pavement near the Phoenix Mortuary around 1 pm on a Thursday. She woke up in a mortuary with a hazy recollection of events, utterly unaware that she had been pronounced dead.

The shock and confusion intensified as Govender realised her surroundings. The chilling coldness of the surface she was lying on and the unsettling realisation that she had no clothing on sent waves of panic through her. To her dismay, she noticed a nearby body bag and another covered figure, confirming her worst fear – she was in a mortuary. Desperate to escape this surreal nightmare, she began screaming for help, banging on the metal door, but her cries went unanswered. Only after using a nearby corpse bed to make noise did she finally hear approaching voices and a walkie-talkie.

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A sense of relief washed over Govender as mortuary workers rescued her, swiftly guiding her out of the cold room. She immediately received transport to the casualty ward at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, where medical professionals attended to her. The attending doctor explained that she had been declared dead due to the absence of a pulse and despite their attempts to revive her. However, Govender raised valid concerns regarding the hospital’s response time and the delay in calling for a mortuary van.

Govender expressed disbelief in her discussions with medical staff, citing her long-standing familiarity with the hospital’s procedures. She questioned why it took 45 minutes before anyone alerted the mortuary to retrieve her. Additionally, she expressed distress when her medical chart, containing crucial information about her treatment, mysteriously disappeared upon her request.

Govender firmly believes that Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital has failed to take responsibility for the traumatic incident. She asserts that this case is not an isolated incident and demands accountability from the hospital administration. She hopes that her ordeal will prompt the necessary changes to prevent others from enduring similar traumatic experiences in the future.

The Phoenix Tabloid contacted the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, seeking their response to this alarming incident. The department assured that a thorough investigation would occur and would provide an official answer following the inquiry.

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Picture: Twitter / IOLPolitics