COVID-19 tests on all deceased in govt hospitals unscientific: Telangana health minister

Objecting over the Telangana HC's order to conduct COVID-19 tests on all dead bodies in government hospitals, the state health minister Etela Rajender said that it is 'unscientific' and 'incomprehensible' as no ICMR or WHO guidelines specify such action.

Hyderabad (Telangana):Days after the Telangana High Court ordered that conduct COVID-19 tests be done on all deceased in government hospitals, health Minister Etela Rajender on Tuesday said it is 'unscientific' and 'incomprehensible' and the state had no intention to do so.

The court had ordered the state government to conduct coronavirus tests on all bodies before they were released from government hospitals.

"Conducting tests (for COVID-19) on dead people is unscientific. It is incomprehensible. ICMR guidelines did not specify that tests should be
conducted on the dead bodies. Every day about 1,000 people die in this state. Every day about 30,000 people die in this country. They (those filing PILs in courts) should say which ICMR or WHO guidelines specify that tests should be conducted on dead bodies. It is not possible and we have no such intention," Rajender told reporters.

He said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) gave its nod after the state governments repeated requests to treat asymptomatic patients at home, even as patients with moderate to severe symptoms are being treated in hospitals under doctors' supervision.

A press release from Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's office on Monday night quoted officials as suggesting that the government go in for an appeal in the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court's order.

"It is difficult to implement the High Court order that Corona tests should be conducted on the dead for whatever reasons they have died. In the state every day 900 to 1000 people die due to various reasons. Every day someone will die in some remote part of the state. It is not possible to conduct tests on them," the officials informed Rao at a review meeting on Monday.

Observing that the High Court's directions in this connection were "impossible" to implement, they said the state government needs to move the Supreme Court in this regard.

If medical staff in hospitals were deputed for conducting tests on bodies,they would not find time to attend to patients who come to hospitals for other ailments, the officials said.

They also claimed that some were regularly filing Public Interest Litigations in the Court to keep the government machinery engaged all day, making it difficult to monitor coronavirus related and other cases.

Alleging that the PILs were filed with vested interests, authorities said it would lead to a "waste of valuable time" of senior medical officers.

On the alleged misinformation campaigns that no adequate arrangements were made to treat patients if their numbers rose, the CM said even if there was an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases,the government was ready to offer treatment.

The high-level review meeting on the spread of COVID-19, measures taken to contain it and other related issues was attended by Medical and Health Minister Etela Rajender, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Special Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Shanti Kumari, Commissioner Yogita Rana, and others.

(PTI report)