An analysis of COVID deaths in the second wave of the pandemic in Madhya Pradesh by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, a non-profit working on public health and health rights, has found that 14,695 people lost their lives to the coronavirus in April and May this year. But, the government’s data for the same period shows 2,425 deaths only.
This shows at least 12,270 deaths have not been reported by the state health department, the public health group has alleged in a letter written to the state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Secretary of Health Department Akash Tripathi yesterday June 17. The non-profit has demanded an immediate investigation by the state government.
As per the non-profit, the death count for the past two months is nearly six times more than the government death records. Of the state’s 52 districts, the non-profit has collected death data for 20 districts only based on the local media reports.
Also Read: Every second COVID case and death reported in May 2021 was from rural India
The district wise difference between the number of deaths recorded by the health department and those collated by the non-profit shows the maximum difference in the state capital, Bhopal at 3,271. This is followed by Indore (2,778), Agar (1,323), Jabalpur (1,221) and Chhindwara (909).
Underreported COVID deaths
According to Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), there was a huge difference in the number of deaths recorded by the health department and cremation centres in Bhopal. In April, more than 2,500 deaths were reported by media and cremation centres. However, only 109 deaths were documented by the health bulletin. As per this, 22 times deaths have been underreported by the health department in Bhopal.
Meanwhile, the non-profit also highlighted that as per the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, a government body that conducts and analyses the results of the demographic surveys, 125,943 COVID and non-COVID deaths have been reported during April and May this year in the 20 districts of the state. However, as per the state health department data, only 2,425 deaths were recorded in these 20 districts in the same period.
There is no information on 123,518 deaths, highlighted the letter.
“The data of COVID deaths in Madhya Pradesh is much higher than it was documented by the health department. It is clear that something is wrong which needs to be investigated,” read the letter signed by JSA members — SR Azad, Amulya Nidhi, Rakesh Chandaure, and Sudeep Das.
The letter continued to inform that apart from COVID deaths, there is a lack of transparency in COVID positive cases as well. All this is against the principles of health rights amid a public health crisis, read the letter.
The JSA has urged the state government for an investigation on the undocumented deaths and to make all the data public and demanded stern action against the culprits.
Other than this, the JSA has demanded that data of death certificates issued in the second wave of the pandemic should be made public.
