Kerala government has nothing to hide regarding COVID-19 deaths, according to Health Minister Veena George.

Thiruvananthapuram:The Kerala government has nothing to hide in terms of COVID-19-related deaths, according to state Health Minister Veena George, even as the opposition Congress claimed that those due to pandemic-related complications were not included.

George told reporters on Thursday that a new transparent and decentralised online system had been put in place to report deaths caused by the virus, a day after the Supreme Court directed the National Disaster Management Authority to issue guidelines in six weeks for ex-gratia compensation to families of those who died from COVID.

There is a new, open online system for reporting pandemic deaths. When a Covid patient dies, the doctor or hospital superintendent is required to report the death within 24 hours.

The information is then entered into the system, according to the minister, who spoke to reporters here. Kerala is a state where all births and deaths are recorded. It’s not as if the state decides which deaths are caused by COVID or not, she claims.

“Only the doctor concerned can decide whether a death is due to COVID or not,” the minister said, citing ICMR and WHO guidelines.

“The state government has nothing to hide on the matter, and previously, based on the ICMR and WHO guidelines, covid deaths were being reported,” the minister said when asked about the Opposition’s charge that the government was not treating deaths from post-COVID complications as disease fatalities.

There have been no lapses on the part of the government in this matter, and if there are isolated incidents, they will be investigated, she said. The government will make every effort to ensure that the families of the deceased covid patients receive all available assistance. VD Satheeshan, the state assembly’s leader of the opposition, has said that all deaths caused by Covid complications should be investigated.

VD Satheeshan, the state assembly’s leader of the opposition, has said that all deaths caused by Covid-related complications should be considered as a result of the pandemic.