All Coronavirus Deaths To Be Certified Covid, Or Else...: Centre In Court

A plea in Supreme Court said that death certificates of victims do not mention Covid as cause of death, making it difficult for families to get compensation.

All coronavirus deaths regardless of where it takes place, should be recorded as Covid deaths, the Centre has said in an affidavit in the Supreme Court after media reports pointed out huge discrepancy in death figures in more than six states. In an affidavit to the Supreme Court filed late last night, the Centre also promised action against doctors who fail to comply with this rule. So far, only deaths of Covid patients that took place in hospitals were certified as Covid, not the ones that happened at home or even at hospital parking lots, leading to a discrepancy in fatality figures that ran into lakhs. The Centre fixed the oversight in an affidavit that also contended that Rs 4 lakh compensation cannot be given for Covid deaths as it would place an unbearable financial burden on states that are already cash strapped due to lean tax collections in the wake of the lockdown and the tailspin in economy. The government was responding to the court's notice after a plea asked for compensation and certification of Covid deaths.