A shocking mistake has been uncovered at St. Boniface Hospital: after a baby died, the wrong remains were given to the parents.
A review is now underway to find out how this could have happened.
The family in question is from Nunavut, but the newborn baby passed away here in Winnipeg at St. Boniface Hospital.
Martine Bouchard, president and CEO of St. Boniface Hospital, told CTV News the error was detected during a process the hospital calls a reconciliation between pathology and body remains in the morgue.
As soon as the hospital realized a mistake had been made, it said it contacted the Nunavut government to get a hold of the family.
CTV News was told that after the family was notified about the mistake, two nurses flew from Winnipeg to Nunavut to give them their baby's actual remains.
The hospital said it wants to ensure this type of mistake never happens again.
"In 33 years of experience in various hospital settings, and various positions, I have never seen a case like this before," said Bouchard.
"And I do not wish to relive this in my career. Having said that I want to have the review process finished by the end of the summer."
Bouchard said the family will immediately be notified of the results. She said due to confidentiality reasons, she's not able to answer any questions about the other baby’s family.
