Hospital Issues Death Certificate To A Living Covid Patient In Bihar

A case has come to light at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) where a living person infected with Covid-19 was declared dead and a death certificate issued to his family members.

A doctor at PMCH said Chunnu Kumar, a resident of Bihar’s Mohammadpur near the Barh police station, was admitted to the hospital on April 9 after suffering a brain haemorrhage. He underwent a coronavirus test for which he tested positive during the course of the treatment. He was then admitted to a corona ward and treatment was started.

The victim’s wife and brother were informed by the hospital administration on Sunday that Chunnu had died. In a rush to remove the body after the death, the hospital administration sealed the body of the patient and handed it over to Chunnu’s brother Manoj Kumar and also issued a death certificate.

They were taking the body for cremation under the supervision of the hospital administration when the wife of the deceased insisted on seeing her husband for the last time. According to the family members, when the covering cloth was removed from the body, it was found to be of a person other than Chunnu.

The PMCH authorities then swung into action. Chunnu was detected undergoing treatment at PMCH which has also been confirmed by his family members and the hospital administration.

PMCH Superintendent I.S. Thakur has dismissed health manager Anjali Kumari for issuing a death certificate for a living Covid patient calling it a ‘big mistake’.