COVID-19 Deaths at home caused due to negligence: DDG (Public Health)

• most elders are not keen to visit a hospital when they suffer from illness fearing the contraction of coronavirus from hospitals
• Sometimes they wait till their ailments gets really bad before they visit a hospital

By Easwaran Rutnam  

The recent deaths reported of some coronavirus patients at home has been caused by negligence, health officials said.   

Deputy Director General (Public Health), Dr. Hemantha Herath told Daily Mirror that failure by patients suffering from other complications to seek medical attention in hospital had resulted in them dying at home.    

He said that PCR tests had subsequently revealed that some of them had contracted COVID-19 and their medical complications had been aggravated as a result.   

A number of coronavirus related deaths have been reported in the homes of victims recently.   

Dr. Hemantha Herath said that most elders are not keen to visit a hospital when they suffer from illness fearing the contraction of coronavirus from hospitals.   

“They are reluctant to visit hospitals or they fear that they will be turned back if they visit a hospital. All hospitals have been told to accept them and treat them,” he added.   

He said that patients, especially persons suffering from major illnesses, must visit the nearest hospital and seek medical attention urgently.   “Sometimes they wait till their ailments gets really bad before they visit a hospital. They must not wait. They can call for an ambulance if the find three-wheelers are reluctant to take them to a hospital. they should not wait till their ailments become critical,” he said.   

He said that there is a likelihood that some patients will be given medical attention and sent back home, which is better than not seeking any medical attention.