Guilty will not be spared, says Dr Jitendra
Child, 3 jawans among 20 test +ve in Jammu
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 21: After two deaths due to negligence of the administration at Sidhra cremation ground in Jammu, another person, a liver patient, died in a quarantine centre in Kathua district today as he was kept under administrative quarantine at a college, triggering protests prompting the district administration to order magisterial inquiry and set up the Board of Doctors for conducting post-mortem to find out reasons behind the death.
Meanwhile, 20 persons today tested Corona positive in Jammu region including three security personnel and a six-year-old child while 38 more patients were treated and discharged from various COVID hospitals. One person tested positive for the virus in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The person who died during administrative quarantine at Dewan Chand ETT College Changran, about two kilometers from Kathua, has been identified as Kamal Kumar, 47, son of Ludar Mani, a resident of village Chapaki Kalan in Hiranagar tehsil.
Union Minister of State in the PMO Dr Jitendra Singh, who is Lok Sabha member from Kathua-Udhampur-Doda constituency said that whosoever is found guilty during the inquiry will not be spared. Dr Jitendra spoke to Deputy Commission Kathua OP Bhagat and sought detailed report on the death at quarantine centre.
Bhagat told the Excelsior that the man died at 6.45 am today in the quarantine centre, where he was lodged since June 15 after his return from Mumbai by road from Lakhanpur. He was sampled for COVID test on June 16 and tested negative on June 20. However, since three persons lodged in the same quarantine centre had tested positive, as per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), all inmates of the centre had to be tested afresh.
His second fresh test report also came negative this evening but by then the patient had passed away.
Bhagat said strict action under rules will be taken against those found responsible for any lapse in dealing with the patient at the quarantine centre. He said he will also submit a detailed report on death at the quarantine centre.
“The deceased had some medical documents with him and, in view of this, we had sought medical opinion from the Government Medical College (GMC) Kathua on 17th by sending him to the hospital. The College doctors had reported that the man’s all organs were working normally. They had advised him the same medicines as given by a Mumbai-based practitioner,” Bhagat said, adding that based on advise of the doctors he was not released from administrative quarantine and was kept there.
He said the Magistrate designated as Inquiry Officer will also cross-examine the doctors who declared the patient medically fit to be kept at the quarantine centre.
However, according to sources, the administration should have sent the man for home quarantine directly or admitted him in the GMC Kathua as he was not feeling well at his workplace in Mumbai and had been asked by the management to go home, get medical opinion and take rest. Instead, they said, he was under administrative quarantine in a college for past one week and was not allowed home quarantine notwithstanding that he had all valid medical prescriptions.
But, sources said, the administration’s decision was based on the report of the GMC Kathua doctors. They added that prior to sending the patient to GMC Kathua, he had also been examined at Sub District Hospital in Hiranagar.
People also questioned the report given by the GMC Kathua doctors describing the patient alright for administrative quarantine despite the fact that he was suffering from liver ailments and was on medication
In view of this, the District Magistrate Kathua has ordered magisterial inquiry into death of quarantine centre inmate which will be conducted by Additional DC Kathua Atul Gupta. He has asked the Inquiry Officer to complete inquiry and submit report by July 1.
The DM Kathua has also written to the Principal GMC Kathua to give “conclusive finding” about cause of death of the inmate. His body has been kept in mortuary of the GMC Kathua for post-mortem which will be conducted tomorrow.
Soon after the inmate passed away, all people kept in Dewan Chand ETT College quarantine centre held massive protest against the administration saying all of them are bound to die in the absence of any facilities including medical at the centre.
“Never a doctor has visited the quarantine centre for examination of the people,” they said, adding the food is of very low standard and sanitation facilities are also worse.
On the charges leveled by the quarantine centre inmates, the District Magistrate Kathua said the centre is equipped with all necessary facilities but admitted that the people were facing extreme heat because of weather.
Only few days back, two persons had died at Sidhra cremation ground in Jammu district where they had gone for cremation of COVID positive person, who had passed away in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu. Though the administration has ordered an inquiry into the deaths, the duo reportedly suffered dehydration due to hot weather conditions and wearing of PPE kits.
Meanwhile, five fresh cases of Coronavirus were today reported from Kathua district.
They include four migrant workers who had returned from different parts of the country and a youth from Jammu district, who remained untraced as he had switched off his mobile telephone. Efforts are on to trace him, sources said.
Four migrant workers, who reported positive for the virus have been shifted to the COVID hospitals, sources said, adding all of them were asymptomatic and in stable condition.
Eight persons today tested positive in Rajouri district including an ITBP jawan from Riwari Haryana.
Other positives include 33-year-old man from Dali, Kalakote, another 33-year-old from Gharat Kalakote, both having travel history of Maharashtra, 30-year-old from Broh Kalakote, who had returned from New Delhi, 30-year-old-man from Panhar Kalakote having travel history of Chandigarh, 21-year-old youth from Potha Rajouri, who had returned from Jallandhar and a youth from Sambal, Uttar Pradesh, working in the district.
SSP Rajouri Chandan Kohli said all positives were under administrative quarantine and have been shifted to COVID hospitals.
Three persons including a 50-year-old BSF jawan and 25-year-old IRP constable reported positive for the virus in Udhampur district today.
Third positive case of the district is a six-year-old child from Basantgarh, who had returned with his family from Kapurthala.
Jammu, Samba, Doda and Reasi districts didn’t report any Corona positive case today.
Two positive cases were reported from Poonch and one each from Ramban and Kishtwar districts.
Meanwhile, 38 more Corona patients today recovered and were discharged from various COVID Hospitals. They include 18 from Ramban, 11 Poonch, four Kathua, two each Doda and Kishtwar and one Reasi.
As per the official figures, Jammu region now has 1366 Corona positive cases. Of them, 579 were active cases as there had been 777 recoveries and 10 deaths in the region.
Meanwhile, one more person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Ladakh, taking the total in the Union territory to 837 while 17 patients were discharged today after recovering from the disease, Health department officials said.
One sample from Leh district tested positive for the virus at the COVID-19 laboratory in Chuchot Yokma, they said.
Seventeen patients were discharged from the COVID hospital in Kargil after they were twice tested negative for the infection, the officials added.
With this, the total number of patients cured of the disease goes up to 134, including 66 in Leh district, they said, adding while one person has died so far, the number of active cases in the region stands at 702 – 555 in Kargil and 147 in Leh.
Of the total active cases in Kargil district, 54 patients are admitted to COVID hospital, 381 are in home isolation while 120 are in COVID care centres, the officials said.
Out of the 147 active cases in Leh, seven are admitted to COVID hospital while the rest are under home-isolation, they added.
The officials said the condition of all 702 active cases of COVID-19 in Ladakh is “stable”.
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