Story By:  Sofija Dizdarevik, Sub-Editor:  Alex Cope, Agency:  Newsflash

This son was told by a hospital that his mother had died from a third stroke and organised her funeral only to go to pick up her body and discover she was still alive.

Blagojce Doncev had taken his mother, Javorka Donceva, 58, to the Kocani General Hospital in the town of Kocani in eastern North Macedonia on Monday after her condition worsened as she recovered from two strokes.

Doncev had to leave his mother, who was reportedly suffering a third stroke, at the hospital and could not visit her due to fears over the COVID-19 pandemic.

He later called the hospital and was reportedly told that his mother had died.

He told reporters: “My mum already had two strokes, she wasn’t feeling good so I took her to the hospital.

“I was being told that my mother had died. I informed all the relatives and friends, I bought funeral equipment, secured a grave site, and printed obituaries for her.”

However, when he then went to collect his mother’s body, he was told he needed to wait two hours. He said: “They told me to wait until they found in which part of the hospital she had died.

“She was in the internal department but she was alive”.

According local media, Kocani General Hospital confirmed the case for which an internal investigation had already been carried out, and the police were called.

Aleksandar Serafimov, the Director of the Kocani General Hospital told local media: “The (police) investigation is started, all hospital staff were called to give a statement at a police station to find the culprits.”

Silvija Nakova, spokeswoman for the funeral directors Gorica Gish-Kocani, claimed that doctors are quick to recommend certain funeral operators and make money in a deal with them, adding: “It is not a good job, neither for families, nor for health, nor for us as an operator.”

Stroke victim Donceva remains hospitalised while her family are demanding severe action be taken against those involved in declaring her dead.

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