Nobody knows if this man died of COVID-19 or liver cirrhosis
Meanwhile, a norm-defying crowd of 300 people gathered at Dhayari for funeral of 43-year-old high-profile resident, but dispersed rapidly when his conflicting hospital reports went viral online; now, PMC and cops investigating the matter
Major drama erupted over the funeral of an alleged COVIDpositive deceased in the Sinhagad Road area on Tuesday this week, indicating a shocking chain of mismanagement by the authorities that could endanger innumerable lives amid the second wave, even as the family of the deceased and the hospital he was treated at issued mismatched versions of what caused his death.
The death of 43-year-old Dhayari resident Santosh Chavan sparked panic in the entire area, after locals — who had incidentally gathered in large numbers for the rites despite ongoing restrictions — began to read two contradictory reports circulating on social media. While one report from a nearby hospital indicated that he was COVIDpositive, another signed off his death as attributed to liver cirrhosis, which is what the bereaved family had also claimed.
Now, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune police have both initiated an inquiry into the case, as it has emerged that the deceased was first admitted as a COVID patient to Sahyadri Hospital, and then shifted to the Shlok COVID hospital in Khed-Shivapur for treatment. Following several complaints by residents, cops were forced to swing into action and conduct a panchnama. Meanwhile, PMC’s Sinhagad Road ward office sought a clarification from relatives of the deceased and the latter hospital at which the man had been admitted.
Santosh Chavan (top left) was first admitted to Sahyadri Hospital for a liver ailment, where an antigen test showed him as COVID-positive (above); he was then shifted to Shlok COVID Hospital, where he died; his cause of death document (below) failed to mention COVID, leading to chaos; his funeral at Dhayari (bottom) was very crowded
Over 300 locals were present for the funeral, against norms set by the municipal authority amid the second wave of the pandemic.
It all began when Santosh, who was suffering from liver-related ailment for the last three months, was admitted to a local hospital, and then later the Sahyadri Hospital for dialysis. As per the mandate, he was subjected to a COVID antigen test and the report showed him as positive. With no facility for pandemic patients available at the hospital, Santosh was referred to another one, where he could get dialysis and COVID treatment together. Accordingly, he was shifted to Shlok Hospital in Khed-Shivapur, which happens to be a dedicated COVID facility.
During treatment, Santosh took his last breath on Tuesday morning. The hospital issued a report citing cause of death as ‘liver cirrhosis’ — strangely, it mentioned nothing about his COVID status.
Santosh’s relatives then obtained a PMC death certificate on the basis of this cause of death document and cremated the body in the evening of the same day, as a no-COVID death, in the presence of hundreds of people. A huge crowd gathered for the rites, as Santosh belonged to a well-to-do family and hailed from a political background.
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But before the rituals began, copies of his reports from both hospitals started circulating on social media, creating chaos among attendees who has come into contact with the deceased and his family. Alleging that this was all a deliberate attempt to hide the man’s COVID status, many locals approached Dattawadi police station and PMC officials. Police rushed to the spot and conducted a panchnama after meeting some bereaved kin.
On condition of anonymity, one of the residents who raised a complaint said, “The COVID-positive report is dated April 4 from Sahyadri Hospital, and the death certificate is of April 6 from Shlok COVID hospital, indicating that it was indeed a COVID death. But just for prestige and to avoid a funeral by PMC, relatives hid the facts and cremated the infected body in full public view. The brother of the deceased is a former deputy sarpanch and his relatives are also politically connected. They may have managed the cause of death report and hidden the COVID status.”
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Another resident said, “We brought this fact to the notice of police and the administration before the funeral, but nobody bothered to take cognisance. The family was allowed to spread the infection. We demand strict action against them, as the number of people gathered for the final rites was against the norm irrespective of whether it was a COVID death or not. The funeral took place in an open crematorium, creating the possibility of a super spreader. The way the body was cremated in a hurry indicates that there was something fishy afoot. Since the patient was young, a post-mortem should have been conducted if he was not COVID-positive.”
Asked about the incident, Devidas Gheware, senior inspector in charge of Dattawadi police station (PS), confirmed, “We have received several complaints from area locals. To check on the ground reality, we took their statements down as well. Since we did not receive papers of the medico-legal case (MLC) from the hospital where the death occurred, we have not yet come to any conclusion. We are in touch with PMC officials. After a thorough inquiry, we will initiate criminal action.”
Jayshree Katkar, assistant municipal commissioner and in-charge of Sinhagad Road ward office, said, “PMC issued a certificate for the funeral on the basis of cause of death mentioned on the hospital report. However, after receiving complaints and information that he was detected positive a few days ago and shifted to a COVID hospital in Khed-Shivapur, we decided to conduct an inquiry. In case any irregularity is found, we will prosecute the relatives and hospital that gave an ambiguous report. We have asked for a clarification from the Khed-Shivapur hospital.”
Responding to the allegations, Dr Amey Karnik of Shlok Hospital said, “The patient died due to liver cirrhosis and other liver-related complications only. We did not conduct his COVID test as relatives had conducted an RT-PCR before hospital admission from a private lab, which was negative. Post-death we did not feel it necessary to re-conduct the COVID test.” However, despite asking for the same, he did not produce any copy showing a negative COVID report of the patient.
When asked, Kaka Chavan, a close relative of the deceased, contradicted the version by Dr Karnik, and Chavan clarified, “We relied on the cause of death mentioned in the report given by Shlok Hospital and cremated the body by obtaining PMC permission accordingly. We had asked Shlok Hospital officials if the body is COVIDinfected, but they informed us that an antigen test was ‘done’. We followed all the rules and there was nothing wrong done from our end.”