The confusion occurred at a hospital in the diamond mining town of Kimberley.
A physician asked his surgeon colleague to  take one of his patients to theatre for the heart operation.
He did not give the proper surname of his patient so Rita du Plessis was wheeled into the surgery  in error.
Because she was unable to give permission for the operation herself, the surgeon had to contact her husband.
The physician only discovered the mistake later during ward rounds when he could not find Du Plessis and was told that she was in surgery.
When He  called her family to apologise for the error, the surgeon had already called the family to tell them that the operation had been  a success.
The Mediclinic Kimberley hospital where the incident occurred has  apologised for the mix-up and has not charged Du Plessis for the unwarranted procedure.
The surgeon and the anaesthetist have also waived their fees.

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