Did Top Delhi Hospital Under-Report COVID-19 Deaths? New Data Emerges

Deaths linked to coronavirus are set to surge in Delhi as the Safdarjung Hospital reported 99 more deaths. The hospital - practically next-door to the prestigious All-India Institute of Medical Sciences -- had reported only four deaths from coronavirus till May 26, the Delhi government said. NDTV learnt that till date, 572 patients have been treated in the Safdarjung hospital for coronavirus, of whom 262 were discharged after recovery while 103 succumbed to the infection.

Doctors said the fresh figure includes deaths due to co-morbidities - meaning existing health conditions that worsened and caused death after the patient contracted coronavirus. The list of co-morbidities includes diabetes, hypertension, heart ailments and kidney diseases and people heaving these health conditions are vulnerable to the virus.

The under-reporting of deaths came to light after cremation grounds under Delhi's municipal corporations sent a list of 426 coronavirus positive deaths to the state government. The list had data till May 17. The official number of deaths in Delhi is 316, up from 303 yesterday, though no deaths took place in the last 24 hours.

Sources said after receiving the list, which also had details of the hospitals from where these dead bodies have been received, the state government is following it up with the hospitals.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Safdarjung Hospital chief Dr Balvinder Singh said there have been 103 coronavirus related deaths in the hospital since February 1.

"Seventy COVID-19 deaths had taken place in the hospital between February 1 and May 27. There were also 33 COVID-19 related deaths with co-morbidities," Dr Singh told NDTV. The hospital, he said, has been sending the coronavirus related details to the home ministry.

A Delhi Government spokesperson, however, told NDTV that until Tuesday, the hospital reported only four deaths. On Tuesday evening, it sent a list of 52 deaths, which is now being examined by the Delhi's death audit committee.

Also, with the Union health ministry data reflecting figures similar to Delhi, it is not clear where the hospital's data about co-morbidity deaths are being listed.

Dr Singh said the Delhi government had started collecting data very late and prior to that, the hospital was sending its data to the Centre. Also, in its initial report to the Delhi government, the hospital did not include the death by co-morbidities, he added. The Safdarjung Hospital had submitted the first list of 53 deaths as on May 16.

"All these deaths took place over a period of time and not in one day. Now we have decided to include co-morbidity deaths in the cumulative report... We are going to report that gradually," he said.

Deaths due to co-morbidities were at the centre of a huge controversy in Bengal, where they were not initially reported in connection to coronavirus. The state government, however, changed its stance after it was accused of fudging figures and became the subject of scrutiny by a Central team.