He said the health department has asked the hospitals to send the death reports and summaries at the earliest, so that the data can be promptly added to the bulletin.
Men wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ride in the back of a vehicle along a street during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in New Delhi on May 4, 2020. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)
After West Bengal government, BJP has questioned the Delhi government over alleged “under-reporting” of coronavirus deaths after hospitals reported a higher figure. However, State Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday asserted that there is no reason to hide anything and not a single case will go unaccounted for in the national capital.
The minister said the hospitals have not sent detailed death reports of patients which have information such reason of death, name, age and other things, and on the basis of which the COVID-19 health bulletin is updated.
Advertisement
He said the health department has asked the hospitals to send the death reports and summaries at the earliest, so that the data can be promptly added to the bulletin.
Advertisement
Confusion prevailed over the number of deaths due to the coronavirus in Delhi, with the data from four hospitals showing that 92 people succumbed to the infection as against 68 fatalities reported by the city government.
Meanwhile, the health department also synchronised the 24-hr time cycle for the daily bulletin on COVID-19 cases with that of Indian Council of Medical Research, an official said. Earlier, the health department was following a 24-hr time cycle beginning from 4 PM daily. It will now be from 12 midnight.
Congress leader Ajay Maken asked the Delhi government “to be more transparent” in reporting cases of the novel coronavirus. He said it was a “matter of shame” that the national capital was witnessing “a sorry state of affairs” in the fight against the pandemic.
Expressing concern over the matter, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said the Chief Minister should clear the air about the situation.
“The reports of under-reporting of coronavirus deaths area a matter of concern. It is extremely shameful that to hide its failures, the Delhi government is reportedly hiding the figures of death due to COVID-19. This is not the time to indulge in politics,” Tiwari said.
“Delhi people have a right to know about the severity of the epidemic and the Kejriwal government should at least tell them the truth,” he said.
But Jain told reporters, “There is no reason to hide anything. We have asked hospitals to send the death reports or death summaries at the earliest. I give you guarantee that no case will go unaccounted for.”
Advertisement
