Three bodies were released to the wrong families by Shared Health after a series of “human errors,” the head of the health oversight agency says.
“Our core responsibility is to serve Manitobans well in every stage of their lives, including in death … and in these instances, we failed,” Shared Health CEO Lanette Siragusa said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
The family of 44-year-old Keith Wilson from Pimicikamak Cree Nation was notified by Manitoba Shared Health earlier this week that the wrong body had been sent to the funeral home.
Funeral services for Wilson were held in late July, with the remains buried in Norway House Cree Nation.
“Shared Health accepts full responsibility for this error,” Siragusa said.
“For that, I offer my sincere apologies to the family and community members.”
An investigation into the error has since revealed two other “near misses” have occurred in recent weeks, with bodies incorrectly signed out of Shared Health facilities and transported to the wrong funeral home.
In those cases, the bodies were returned to the Shared Health morgue and families were notified.
“Like any member of the public, I am appalled, I am outraged, I am heartbroken, not only that this type of error could occur, but that it could be repeated,” Siragusa said Friday.