Thane: The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) on Monday issued a suo motu show-cause notice to Shivneri Hospital seeking an explanation regarding an incident where a private doctor erroneously declared an elderly man dead and provided a death certificate, the man regained consciousness before any final rites could be carried out.
According to the health department, the notice was issued on Monday after the incident gained attention on social media.
Abhiman Tayade, 64, who suffers from diabetes, jaundice, and other serious ailments, was brought to Shivneri Private Hospital in Camp No. 4 in an auto-rickshaw on the evening of June 12. Unable to shift him into the hospital’s outpatient department, senior surgeon Dr Prabhu Ahuja reportedly examined him in the rickshaw and declared him dead. A death certificate was subsequently issued.
UMC Health Officer Mohini Dharma told The Free Press Journal that the civic body took cognizance of the incident after the story went viral on social media. “Although the Tayade family did not file a formal complaint against Dr Ahuja, we have still issued a show-cause notice, asking him to provide an explanation. Based on his response, we will decide whether to constitute an inquiry committee,” she said.
Dr Ahuja later claimed that he had advised the family to shift Tayade to a hospital with ventilator support. However, he could not explain why a death certificate was issued. He admitted that due to loud road construction near the hospital, he may have failed to detect a pulse during the examination. “I apologise for the error,” he said.
Tayade, a resident of Ulhasnagar, lives with his wife and three children. He had earlier received treatment at JJ Hospital, where doctors recommended further evaluation. On June 12, as his condition deteriorated at home, his family rushed him to Shivneri Hospital. After being declared “dead” by Dr Ahuja, the family returned home and began informing relatives to prepare for the final rites.
However, they later noticed abdominal movement and signs of life. Tayade was immediately shifted to Criticare Hospital in Ulhasnagar, where he was admitted to the ICU.
“The patient was brought in with diabetes and jaundice and is currently stable. We also detected a tumor in his abdomen,” said Dr Prakash Kaurani of Criticare Hospital.
Dr Ahuja, addressing the media, stated, “The patient was brought in unconscious around 8:30 pm. He had been unresponsive for about 30 minutes. I observed foaming at the mouth and no breath sounds. I advised the family to seek ventilator support elsewhere. Later, they returned and requested a death certificate, which I issued—unaware that he had survived. The family didn’t inform us he was alive. I feel misled.”
