Health Department nod must for Covid test of dead

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 27

Following the “botched-up” testing of bodies, the government has decided that henceforth, the Covid test of a dead person would be conducted only after the permission of a senior health officer.

Now, approval from either the Director, Health Department, or Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, will be required to conduct the Covid test of bodies. Consequently, if a doctor is found taking the sample of a body without permission from senior health officers, he or she will attract disciplinary action.

The directions are said to have come after The Tribune highlighted a case of 39-year-old Patiala resident who was tested for Covid after he was declared brought dead. The patient had been declared brought dead by Government Mata Kaushalya Hospital. The body was sent for the postmortem to Government Rajindra Hospital.

Ironically, despite having developed rigor mortis, the man was tested for Covid by doctors at the Rajindra hospital merely on the request of the police.

Moreover, the doctors had declared that the patient was suffering from severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) without any stipulated examination and medical history of respiratory issues.

The patient had later tested positive for Covid which had raised questions over the rationale of ignoring the protocol. Notably, the sample was said to have been taken in haste without informing the Health Department.

Similar incidents were also reported from Ludhiana where two bodies were tested for Covid, disregarding the protocol.

A health officer said, “It was a complete mess where anyone used to come and ask the doctors to test a body for Covid. Every institutional death or brought dead person cannot be tested for Covid.”

Dr Avneet Kaur, Director, Health and Family Welfare, said, “After having seen the incidents of the protocol being ignored, we have issued directions for testing of bodies. Moreover, test results can have a different outcome if the body is tested after more than 48 hours of death.”