Discrepancies in Uttarakhand's Covid-19 death audit report raises eyebrows

The COVID-19 death audit report of Uttarakhand government brought to light the delay and negligence of state hospitals in reporting fatalities related to the virus.

The negligence was reported after the COVID-19 health bulletin issued by the state government on Saturday showed discrepancies in the total death toll figures.

The bulletin issued on Friday stated that the state has reported 829 deaths due to coronavirus so far. However, Saturday's bulletin said Uttarakhand reported six deaths in the previous 24 hours, but the cumulative death toll of the state rose to 924, indicating an increase of 95 deaths.

Meanwhile, Dr Abhishek Tripathi, Chief Operational Officer of Uttarakhand Control Room COVID-19 wrote a letter to 23 government and private hospitals, asking them to report the death summaries of COVID-19 patients on priority basis to the State Control Room.

"As you are aware that providing the immediate death summary of every COVID-19 death, to the government, is compulsory and some hospitals are following the norm but few are delaying the information, and sometimes they are providing the death summaries only after a request from the government. Apart from this, the death audit reports are also being delayed," he said.

Dr Tripathi further instructed the hospitals to prove the death summaries of COVID-19 patients on the same day of death, to the government.

"In case of delay, provide the death summary by next day after the death," he added.