Delhi: 67 Covid-related deaths at Safdarjung Hospital since February 1

NEW DELHI: At least 67 Covid-related deaths have occurred at Safdarjung Hospital since February 1, when patients started getting treated there for the deadly viral infection. Of these, 53 deaths took place between February 1 and May 16 and the rest over the past 12 days, Dr Balvinder Singh Arora, medical superintendent of the hospital, told TOI.

Arora said initially they were submitting all death reports to the Union health ministry. “Recently, Delhi government demanded that the case summaries of the deceased be shared with them. It appointed multiple coordinators for the same, which led to some confusion and delay. But now most details have been shared with them,” he added.

Sources said some patients who had been admitted to the hospital with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) and died during treatment also tested positive for Covid-19 later. These deaths are still being collated to be sent to the government.

“If you combine the SARI deaths, the total number of deceased will be much higher,” said a source. He added that Safdarjung Hospital mostly gets patients who are seriously ill. “Peripheral hospitals and other states refer patients when they are in the last stage of illness and have lost all hope. Sometimes it’s too late to save such patients. However, in many cases death is caused due to comorbidities,” said a doctor.

Delhi government data shows that there have been 316 Covid-19 deaths in the state. However, the Opposition parties allege that the actual number is much higher. Because of the high number of deaths, the city’s cremation grounds haven’t been able to conduct funerals that require proper protective measures and social distancing. Municipal corporations have been forced to allow wood-based cremation to avoid piling up of bodies, officials said.

A Delhi government official said a death audit committee was constituted to look into all death summaries sent by hospitals that involved Covid-infected patients. “Initially, a few hospitals weren’t sending the death summaries. Now that they have started, we will report them. We are not trying to hide any data,” he added.