In an unbelievable but true sequence of events a man whose relatives thought he was dead was found alive and healthy, having lunch in the hospital, beside the bed of another patient, when they came to fetch his body. The middle-aged man who has been identified as Jaynarayan Pandey was apparently admitted to the hospital in Howrah with severe asthma and tuberculosis on 16 May, according to the Times of India.
Pandey was undergoing treatment in the hospital's male ward for his condition. From the looks of it, things were going fine. It is when he recovered and was declared fit that problem arose.
The 56-year-old did not want to leave the hospital even after he was declared fit. Pandey was discharged but he lifted and placed an unconscious patient who was lying on the floor onto his bed and roamed around the hospital eating leftover food.
Now, the patient whom he had put in bed was unidentified and in a critical condition. According to the Times of India, since the patient was unidentified, the hospital staff had put a sticker on his forehead that said X-16. And since all beds were occupied, he had been left on the floor. However patient X died on 23 May and the authorities, who confused him with Pandey, informed his relatives.
The relatives rushed to the hospital to get the body, which is when they found him having a meal. As soon as he saw his relatives, Pandey ran. The report quotes one of the relatives as saying that they, along with the hospital staff, doctors and nurses, chased Pandey. When they finally caught him, he started to scream that he did not want to leave.
Upon investigation, the authorities discovered that Pandey was a widower who lived alone and was not in a good position financially.
Narayan Chatterjee, superintendent of the hospital, said that although an inquiry would be initiated, they had decided to let Pandey stay on on humanitarian grounds. He added that they make similar arrangements for many patients and Pandey could stay on for as long as he wanted.