Union Health Ministry's Joint Secretary Lav Agrawal said on Thursday (March 16) no positive coronavirus case was reported in Mahe district, which comes under the Union Territory of Puducherry, in the last 28 days.
The ministry appeared to have ignored the death of Mehroof, a 71-year-old Mahe resident, due to COVID-19 on April 11.
Mehroof had succumbed to COVID-19 at the Government Medical College Hospital Kannur in Pariyaram, which lies 60 km north of Mahe.
Mahe legislator Dr V Ramachandran said Mehroof was a resident of the Union Territory. "He died at a medical college in Kerala's Kannur district. That would not change his place of residence. The Union health ministry made a big mistake by including him in Kerala's list," he said.
Mahe, also known as Mayyazhi, is an enclave of the Union Territory of Puducherry located inside Kerala. With an area of just nine sq km, it is one of the smallest districts in the country. It shares borders with Kannur district in the north and Kozhikode in the south. Mahe residents depend on hospitals in Kerala for most of their medical needs.
Mehroof was under treatment at a private hospital in Kannur. He was shifted to the Medical College Hospital on April 8 after his condition deteriorated. He breathed his last on April 11. His body was buried at a mosque near the Medical College Hospital in Kannur.
Aman Sharma, regional administrator-cum-sub divisional magistrate, Mahe, said the Union health ministry's assessment was correct. “No fresh COVID-19 case was reported in Mahe for the last 28 days,” he said.
“Mahe resident Mahroof died on April 11 in Kannur. So his death would be recorded in Kerala,” he said.
Sharma said the Union health ministry has clarified this to the Mahe administration via an e-mail. “This was done following the health ministry's protocol," he said.
Place of infection
However, health workers in Kerala wondered how the Union ministry included Mahroof as Kerala COVID-19 victim without verifying the place of infection.
They said it would hamper disease control initiatives.
“It would set a wrong precedent. If a patient from Kasaragod dies in Mangaluru hospital, will she be considered as a resident of Karnataka?” asked a medical professional, on condition of anonymity.
She further said the society at large will be the victims of such an attitude. “The Union government's decision will seriously affect COVID-19 preventive measures in Mahe.”
Mahroof's close relative (name withheld to protect identity), who is on home quarantine now, said the family still does not know how Mahroof got coronavirus infection. “He never travelled a lot. He used to sit at home most of the time. We don't know how the virus got him,” he said.
Kannur district medical officer K Narayana Naik said he has written to the state's director of health services to take measures to rectify the mistake. “Hope the Union health ministry will correct it soon,” he said.
Mahe had reported its only positive coronavirus case so far on March 17 (The list does not include Mahroof's name). The person has since been recovered.
"Since Mahe shares its borders with Kannur and Kozhikode, we are keeping high vigil," said regional administrator Sharma.
Forty-seven persons are currently under treatment in Kannur, one of the COVID-19 hotspots in the country.