Phoenix rising? KZN health department denies allegation that ‘dead’ woman woke up in morgue

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The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has dismissed claims by a Durban woman that she woke up in a morgue at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital.

The KZN health department denied that a patient was pronounced dead and sent to the morgue, only to be found alive. pronounced dead after she failed to respond to oxygen.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has dismissed claims by a Durban woman that she woke up in a morgue at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital.

Constantia Junior Govender told the North Coast Rising Sun the incident happened in February.

She said she suffered a power outage on her way to a friend’s house.

She told the publication that she did not recall being taken to hospital or being examined by doctors. She only remembered waking up in the morgue.

She said she screamed and was taken to the emergency department, where the doctor told her she was unresponsive to oxygen.

Govender said the hospital’s CEO and public relations officer were not in their offices to receive his complaint.

Responding to the claims on Wednesday, Ntokozo Maphisa, the department’s spokesperson, said Govender was a known outpatient who regularly collects her medication from the hospital.

However, he said there were no records on the woman at the hospital or local morgues, including the Phoenix Forensic Mortuary.

He said the facility did not register any missing persons between February and May.

In April 2023, in particular, there were a total of eight Indian women admitted by the Phoenix morgue. Seven were identified and released [their] families. Of the eight bodies, seven were adults and one was an eight-month-old baby. The body, which has not yet been identified, is still in the morgue, awaiting identification.

In 2016, the Phoenix morgue faced similar claims and was accused of keeping a patient alive in its facilities after a car accident.

According to IOL, Msizi Mkhize, 28, was pronounced dead by paramedics after a car accident.

His family went to identify his body, but an employee told them he was breathing.

He died in hospital five hours later after unsuccessful attempts to save his life.

His family accused the paramedics of negligence.

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