An Italian woman got the shock of her life when the doctor she visited for her check-up declined to treat her saying, "But you are dead!" Italian pension agency INPS mistakenly reported Maria Giuliani as dead in January 2006 when another woman by the same name died.

However, Giuliani did not lose hope and sued her pension agency for removing her from the databanks of municipal and health computers. She has reportedly won a year-long battle on Thursday to get her name back in the government database.

According to Italian media ANSA, the pension agency INPS issued a formal apology to Giuliani for stopping her pension rights and other government facilities.

Giuliani has however credited the local media for taking up her case and said it would not have been possible if the case was not covered widely. Trying to add a touch of humor to the whole incident Giuliani said, "All you can do is have a good laugh about it, I suppose."