An absolutely bizarre situation unfolded in India last week after a baby boy who doctors pronounced dead after delivery woke up on the way to his own funeral — a horrifying scenario that directly led to the firing of two doctors.
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The baby was reportedly declared dead before being placed in a plastic bag. But the child began to move around in the bag not long after, as the family headed to pay its respects, USA Today reported.
“They handed us both bodies wrapped like a courier package from the back door,” Kailash, the boy’s grandfather, told NDTV, according to the Guardian. “After we travelled 3km, we felt a movement in one [bag]. We ripped it open, found bits of plastic and the baby inside, breathing.”
The family quickly rushed the baby to a nearby hospital and were told that he was still alive. The child was then placed on life support and is currently being treated by physicians.
The incident unfolded at Max Healthcare in New Delhi on Nov. 30 after a mother delivered premature twins at just 22 weeks; one was stillborn and the other was purportedly wrongly declared dead, the outlet noted.
The ordeal quickly made its way into headlines around India and beyond, with local authorities getting involved to investigate and with the hospital saying that it is “shaken” by what unfolded.
“We are shaken and concerned at this rare incident,” the hospital said in a statement. “We are in constant touch with the parents and are providing all the needed support.”
An investigation is unfolding after the hospital fired two of the doctors responsible.
It is unclear if the baby boy will survive, according to one of his uncles. The infant reportedly contracted numerous infections due to being exposed to the elements and being wrapped in plastic after his birth.