[Bangla Daily Star] An Australian hospital apologised on Thursday after mistakenly sending out death notices for 200 of its - very much alive - patients.A-w-k-ward!
Austin Hospital, in Australia's second most populous city of Melbourne, erroneously killed off the patients when it faxed death notices to their family doctors.
"Jones? Dead? Impossible! I'm on the phone with him right now!"
"Is he saying anything?"
The notices were the result of an inadvertent change to the templates the hospital sends to doctors once a patient has been discharged, operator Austin Health said in a statement.
IF THE PATIENT IS CONTAGIOUS CLICK "C"
IF THE PATIENT HAS BEEN DISCHARGED CLICK "D"
IF THE PATIENT IS DEAD CLICK "D"
IF THE PATIENT IS EPILEPTIC CLICK "E"
"We apologised unreservedly to affected clinics who, for the most part, were very understanding about the error," it said.
"No worries, mate! Happens all the time!"
Patient care had not been affected, the company stressed.
"Evelyn, have you seen the embalming fluid for Mrs. Jones?"
The Australian Medical Association said the error was unacceptable and potentially distressing to family doctors,
... not to mention the "dead" people...
while an opposition lawmaker said it was symptomatic of an overworked health system.
Which his party was in charge of and designed...