The Center also said in an affidavit that the Office of the Registrar General of India had issued a circular on September 3 to provide medical certificate of cause of death to the next of kin of the deceased.
“It is submitted that the guidelines and circular dated June 30, 2021, WP(C) No. 554 of Reapak Kansal v. Union of India et al., 2021 and Gaurav Kumar Bansal v. Union of India et al., WP(C) No. 539 of 2021, “said the court.
As per the guidelines presented, COVID-19 cases that have been diagnosed through RT-PCR test, molecular test, rapid-antigen test or through examination in a hospital or in-patient facility by the treating physician has been medically prescribed, while admitted in the hospital. or in-patient facility, will be considered for the document.
The guidelines state that deaths due to poisoning, suicide, homicide and accidental deaths will not be treated as COVID-19 deaths, even if covid-19 co-occurs.
“Covid-19 cases which are not resolved and have died either in hospital setting or at home, and where Medical Certificate of Cause of Death in Forms 4 and 4A (MCCD) is issued to the registering authority as required under section 10 According to the Birth and Death Registration (RBD) Act, 1969, as per the guidelines, will be treated as a death of COVID-19.
The Registrar General of India will issue necessary guidelines in this regard to the Chief Registrars of all the States and Union Territories.
According to an ICMR study, 95% of deaths occur within 25 days of a person testing COVID-19 positive, it was mentioned in the guidelines.
“In order to widen this scope and be more inclusive, deaths occurring within 30 days from the date of testing or from the date of clinically determined as a COVID-19 case shall be designated as ‘COVID – 19, even if the death occurs outside the hospital/patient facility,” the guidelines stated.
However, a COVID-19 patient, who was admitted to a hospital or inpatient facility, and who continued as a single admission for more than 30 days, and subsequently died, should be treated as per the guidelines. Will be treated as a death of Covid-19.
The guidelines stated that in cases where the MCCD is not available or the kin of the deceased is not satisfied with the cause of death given in the MCCD and which is not covered in the above scenarios, the states and union territories shall inform a committee. at district level.
The committee will consist of an additional district collector, chief medical officer of health (CMOH), an additional CMOH/principal or head of the medical department of the medical college (if one exists in the district) and a subject expert. The guidelines state, “Official Documents for Covid-19 Deaths”.
The guidelines also enumerate the procedure to be followed by the committee.
It said the relatives of the deceased would file a petition to the district collector for release of the documents.
“The official document for Covid-19 death will be issued after due scrutiny and verification of all facts by the above district-level committee in the format attached to these guidelines. The official document for Covid-19 death will also be communicated to the Chief Registrar States/UTs and Registrar of Births and Deaths, who issued the death certificate,” said one of the guidelines.
The committee will also examine the grievances of the kin of the deceased, and propose necessary remedial measures including issuance of revised “official document for COVID-19 death” after verifying the facts as per these guidelines.
Applications for issuance of documents and redressal of grievances will be disposed of within 30 days of submission of application/complaint.
In its June 30 judgment, the apex court had ordered steps to simplify guidelines for issuance and rectification of death certificates/official documents, stating the exact cause of death, to dependents. To get is ‘Death due to Covid-19’. Benefits of welfare schemes.
The apex court’s decision came on two separate petitions filed by lawyers Ripak Kansal and Gaurav Kumar Bansal, seeking a direction to the Center and states to provide. ₹4 lakh compensation to the families of coronavirus victims as per the provision under the Act.
Four interventionists who lost their family members due to Covid have also moved the apex court through advocate Sumir Sodhi, contending that there is no discrimination in the amount being paid by different states to the family members of those people. who had succumbed to the deadly infection. .
With inputs from agencies.
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