Telangana says impossible to test all hospital casualties for Covid-19

Telangana’s health minister said all the Covid-19 positive patients admitted in Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad were being given the best possible treatment so that nobody would die of the disease. “The doctors are doing their best, even risking their own lives,” he said.

The Telangana government on Tuesday described as impossible and impractical the recent order of the state high court that tests for Covid-19 should be conducted on all those who die in government hospitals.

A farmer who tours on his bike in the villages of Telangana state to spread awareness about the COVID-19 coronavirus, rides in the slums in Hyderabad. (AFP)

“It is totally unscientific to call for conduct of tests on dead bodies for Covid-19 and there is no rationale behind the order. Nowhere did the World Health Organisation (WHO), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) or the Central government ask for conducting tests on the dead. The high court directions in this regard are impossible to implement,” health minister Eatala Rajender told reporters.

He pointed out that on an average, nearly 1,000 people die in hospitals for various reasons and in the country, at least 30,000 people die. “How is it possible to conduct Covid-19 tests on all of them?” he said.

The minister said all the Covid-19 positive patients admitted in Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad were being given the best possible treatment so that nobody would die of the disease. “The doctors are doing their best, even risking their own lives,” he said.

They sought his approval for moving the Supreme Court challenging the high court’s order. “Every day someone will die in some part of the state or the other. It is not possible to conduct tests on them. If the medical staff in the hospitals is deputed for this duty, they will not get any time to treat the patients,” a statement from the chief minister’s office, quoting the department officials said.

They further pointed out that several patients come to the hospitals for other diseases and some for deliveries. There are now some who come for the treatment of Covid-19. “It is not possible to conduct tests on the dead for coronavirus leaving these patients. The state government should go for an appeal in the Supreme Court in this regard,” they suggested.

The officials also told the chief minister that all those deaths accounted for as Covid-19 deaths were not actually connected to the virus. “About 95 per cent of the Covid-19 patients died due to other reasons like kidney, liver and heart failure, respiratory diseases, cancer, high blood pressures, diabetics and other diseases.

“Since they have tested positive for coronavirus, they were accounted for as deaths due to Corona. This is the most unscientific way of awareness. Due to this false propaganda, there is fear among the people,” the department officials said.

Meanwhile, the state high court on Tuesday struck down a petition filed by prominent social activist and Padma Shri awardee Sunitha Krishnan seeking a direction to the state government to enforce complete lockdown in the state till July 15.

The petitioner said the intensity of Covid-19 in the state had gone up due to relaxation of lockdown restrictions, resulting in an increasing number of positive cases and deaths due to the virus. “The intensity will increase due to reopening of places of worship,” she said.

The high court, however, said lockdown was a policy decision of the government and the courts wouldn’t interfere in the decisions. It reminded that all the states in the country had relaxed lockdown restrictions.

With regard to reopening of places of worship, the court said it was for the people to decide whether or not to go to these places.