Pune: Dismissing all allegations of under-reporting of Covid-19 related deaths, District Collector Naval Kishor Ram gave a clean chit to Sassoon General Hospital management citing number of natural and unnatural deaths reported from the hospital year-on-year basis.
Sharing the statistics of deaths reported in Sassoon hospital year-on-year basis for July month, Collector Ram said, “According to the primary report shared by Sassoon, In July 2019, there were 331 natural deaths and this year the count is 387. For unnatural deaths reported in Sassoon, the July 2019 figures are 216 and just 144 this year. The patients who were ‘brought dead’ to the Sassoon hospital in July month this year were just 17 while the count was 35 last year. This count includes both Covid and non-Covid patients. Contrary to the claims of higher deaths, the count is just half the numbers as compared to last year.”
Ram, while addressing the mediapersons on Monday said, “The allegations of under reporting had got us bad press locally and nationally but I can assure you that no such things are happening at the government hospital. We have sought a detailed report from the Sassoon hospital administration and the primary details shared by them have made the picture very clear.”
Ram further stated that the medico-legal post mortems conducted each month were 582 in 2019 and this year they are 548 per month. This is the primary report received from Sassoon hospital and a final report will be prepared in a few next days, he clarified.
Mayor Murlidhar Mohol had made shocking claims regarding the under-reporting of Covid-related deaths in government and private hospitals in the city. Mohol had claimed that more than 500 deaths of Covid-positive patients every month were not placed on record by the hospitals just because the Covid-tests could not be conducted on the patients as they were ‘brought dead’ or died immediately after admitting and before treatment started on them at the hospital. Mohol had asked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to look into the matter and conduct an enquiry.
The then Divisional Commissioner Dr Deepak Mhaisekar had sought a report from Sassoon General Hospital about the natural and unnatural deaths, as well as those patients who were ‘brought dead’ to the hospital and those who had died before any treatment could be offered at the hospital.
The Indian Council of Medical Research and central government norms does not allow the hospitals and doctors to conduct post-mortem Covid-tests, but when doctors take an x-ray of the chest of the deceased persons, symptoms of Covid-19 can be seen, Mohol had stated during the review meeting held recently with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
