By M. S. Shah Jahan

“Hello, good morning, King Edward VII Hospital.” It was Tuesday 4th December 5.30 am of London time.

‘Oh, hello there. Could I please speak to Kate please, my granddaughter?’ “Oh yes, just hold on ma’am.”

Thinking she was speaking to the Queen, the woman who had been manning the hospital switchboard transferred the call to the Duchess of Cambridge’s ward and put the caller through to one of the nurses who was caring for the Duchess. The nurse also believed she was speaking to the Queen and went on to make a number of deeply personal observations about Kate’s health.

King Edward VII hospital is one of the most exclusive private hospitals in the country, attracting world-class medical specialists. It has been treating the Royal Family since it opened in 1899 at the suggestion of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and its patron is the Queen.

It prides itself on ‘a strong tradition of excellence in nursing’, with one of the best nurse-to-patient ratios in the country, far exceeding the national average. Its website states: ‘Our nursing staffs are some of the very best and – unlike many hospitals – the vast majority is permanently employed by us.’

Kate, 30, who is barely eight weeks pregnant, was taken to the hospital just after Sunday lunch by her husband and immediately put on a drip to stop her becoming dehydrated.

William and the Duchess of Cambridge had been hoping to keep the news they were expecting a baby to themselves until Christmas Day. But with Kate admitted to hospital with acute morning sickness, they had little choice but to make the announcement.

Within few hours, across the continent in Australia, recording of the entire conversation between the ‘Queen’ and Kate’s nurse was played on the Sydney-based radio station 2Day FM, Sydney’s number one hit music station.

It was a hoax phone call to King Edward VII Hospital by two 2DayFM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian, known simply as Matty and Mel, who impersonated Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

The presenters bragged about their success for few days and remarked during their show how their efforts were the ‘easiest prank call ever made’, as they put on mock British accents they later described as ‘terrible’.

The radio advertised the stunt worldwide and repeatedly called the local audience to listen to the tape, re relaying it. But the world was shocked and the result was negative.

Here back in London on Friday 7th, Scotland Yard Police were called at approximately 9.25am, to a report of a woman found unconscious in an address in Weymouth Street, W1. London Ambulance Service attended and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The death was not treated as suspicious at that stage. Inquiries continued to establish the circumstances of the incident. It came to light that it was 46 year old nurse Jacintha Saldanha, the woman who said “Hello, good morning, King Edward VII Hospital” died in a suspected suicide in the King Edward VII hospital’s staff lodgings.

Jacintha, mother of son Junal 16, and 14-year-old daughter Lisha, hailed from Mangalore, Karnataka, India, had worked in the Middle east along with her husband Benedict Barboza, a 49-year-old hospital accountant, also known as Ben, before going to London 10 years ago.

She was with the King Edward VII Hospital for more than four years and was described by the hospital as a first-class nurse who had cared diligently for hundreds of patients during her time there. The woman is thought to have split her time between the family home and the London hospital, where she stayed in staff lodgings close to the main building.

Benedict posted a tribute to Saldanha on his Facebook page, “‘I am devastated with the tragic loss of my beloved wife Jacintha in tragic circumstances; She will be laid to rest in Shirva, India.” And the couple’s daughter Lisha also paid tribute to her mother on Facebook by posting: ‘I miss you, I loveeee you.’

Oh what a terrible tragedy. It was said Jecintha found herself at the centre of the controversy after answering the Australian DJs’ call, when they obtained intimate details about Kate Middleton’s condition by posing as the Queen and Prince Charles.

The grieving family of the ‘excellent’ nurse said: ‘We as a family are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha.’News of her death caused shockwaves both internationally and locally. Until then DJ Michael Christian was urging people to tune in to their show to hear more about the prank.

In a statement, the Royal College of Nursing said: ‘The Royal College of Nursing has expressed sadness at the death of the nurse from the London hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge who took a hoax call about the Duchess’s condition.

Colleagues left flowers outside the staff lodgings beside King Edward VII hospital where the nurse was staying. The message reads ‘god bless your soul’. The hospital’s chairman Lord Glenarthur said he wanted to ‘protest’ against the ‘extremely foolish’ gag which he branded ‘truly appalling’. He said her death was ‘tragic beyond words’.

His letter to Southern Cross Austereo, owners of 2Day FM said the immediate consequence of the station’s ‘premeditated and ill-considered actions’led to the ‘humiliation’ of Ms Saldanha and another nurse. ‘I appreciate that you cannot undo the damage which has been done but I would urge you to take steps to ensure that such an incident could never be repeated,’ it added.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said: ‘This is tragic news, and the thoughts of all at the Royal College of Nursing go to the family of Jacintha Saldanha. ‘It is deeply saddening that a simple human error due to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member of the nursing profession.’

The family lived in their £130,000 terraced home in Bristol for about eight years. A friend at the family address said that Mrs Saldanha’s husband Benedict Barboza, and their teenage son and daughter, were ‘very, very shocked and unhappy at the tragedy’.

Neighbours revealed that Mrs Saldanha was known as the nurse to the Queen because of her employment at the prestigious hospital, which has long been used by the Royal family.

Neighbour Mary Atwell, 56, said: ‘She was a lovely, lovely person who always spoke to you when you saw her in the street. ”The kids were always polite and well-behaved. The boy often played football on the green outside with his friends. I saw him go off to school yesterday.

‘Later in the afternoon I saw a police car outside their home but I didn’t think much of it. I suppose that was when they heard. ‘God knows how they must be feeling now.’

‘She must have taken the whole thing very badly because I don’t think the hospital disciplined her for what happened. ‘She simply couldn’t live with herself I suppose. ‘But you could always see that she was very dedicated to her job. She was a lovely person.’

Miss Atwell also revealed that the nurse often displayed kindness to her neighbors. She said: ‘She used to walk an elderly neighbour who has dementia, who lives a few doors along, down to the shops and back.

Facing the wrath of the media, Southern Cross Austereo CEO Rhys Holleran came out in defense of the DJs and refused to sack them but painted them as victims though they were taken off air after Jecintha’s death. He said the presenters were ‘completely shattered’ and had been offered counseling.

A source confirmed that 2DayFM’s lawyers had listened to the audio of the entire call and had given it clearance to go to air. A radio station spokesman later apologised for the ‘inconvenience’ caused by the call.

In a statement, the company said: ‘Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) and 2Day FM are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the death of the nurse, Jacintha Saldanha from King Edward VII Hospital and we extend our deepest sympathies to her family, and all that have been affected by this situation around the world.

Both presenters have deleted their Twitter accounts after an online backlash from the public called them to lose their jobs.

British-born Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the death as ‘a terrible tragedy’ and, through a spokesman, passed on her deep-felt condolences to the family of Jacintha.

Prince William and his pregnant wife Kate told how they are ‘deeply saddened’ by the tragedy. A Palace spokesman said the couple had not made a complaint about the prank call.

‘Their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time,’ a statement said. When asked if they had expressed concern, the spokesman added: ‘On the contrary we offered our full and heartfelt support to the nurses involved and hospital staff at all times.’

Besides, speaking from her home in Udupi, Karnataka, south west India Mrs Barboza 69, said about her daughter-in-law, ‘Jacintha was a very caring woman. She used to call us every Sunday without fail. We just cannot believe what has happened. ’She said that the couple spent last new year with the family in Udupi, along with their son and daughter.

‘We got a call from Benedict informing us that Jacintha had died. He was crying and couldn’t speak much. ‘We don’t know whether we’ll be able to bring her dead body back to India to perform her last rites but we desperately hope so, said the old lady.

Should Jacintha end her life for a simple human error? No she has over reacted, because she is another Nightingale!