The hospital's forensic department head has been suspended following the blunder. (Representational)
The dead body of a 24-year-old man was erroneously handed over by the Goa Medical College Hospital to the local civic corporation in Panaji, which reportedly disposed of the body as an unclaimed one. The man's family filed a police complaint on Saturday.
State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has suspended the hospital's forensic department head, Dr Edumundo Rodrigues. He added that added that GMCH dean Pradeep Naik had been asked to investigate the matter and submit a report within eight days.
Dr Rodrigues has reportedly told dean Mr Naik that the mix up happened because the body was shifted from one cabinet in the morgue to another, which previously contained an unclaimed body, due to malfunctioning of the cold storage mechanism there.
Following this mix up, the body, mistaken to be unclaimed, was handed over to the Corporation of City of Panaji last week which carried out the last rites.