Tripura High Court Asks State Government To Specify Its Policy On COVID Death Certification

Taking into account the concern regarding certification of Covid death, the Tripura High Court has asked the State Government to specify its policy regarding the indication of Covid death in the death certificates.

The Bench of Chief Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice S. Talapatra posed the following 4 questions before the state government:

1. Whether the State policy mandates indication of Covid death in the death certificate itself whether the patient dies solely on account of Covid infection or coupled with any co-morbid condition?
2. What is the position of death certificate issued in cases of deaths which are declared by the State administration as Covid deaths?
3. Place on record if there is any Central or State Government notification or directives in this respect.
4. What is the position of the State administration if a person may have recovered from Covid infection but dies shortly thereafter due to post-Covid complications whether coupled with or without comorbidity?

The Court posed the 4 questions while noting the arguments of the Advocates that in some cases the death certificates do not clearly indicate that the patient died due to Covid.

Before the Court, it was clearly pointed out that the absence of the certification of a Covid death in the death certificate itself would make the task of the family members of the deceased to receive benefits of State as well as Central Schemes extremely difficult.

To this, the Court observed:

"There are Central as well as State schemes giving certain benefits to the family members of those who died due to Covid. Some schemes may come up in the future. If the death certificates do not clearly indicate that the person died due to Covid, the family members would certainly face an uphill task in claiming such benefits."

Regarding the vaccination strategy of the State Government, the Court asked the State to cover as many people as possible under the vaccination programme as per the availability of vaccine doses with the State administration to ensure maximum coverage of vaccination within the shortest possible time.

"The issue of those who are reluctant to receive the vaccines or are unable to travel to the vaccine centres though willing will be addressed later," added the Court.

Lastly, the Court also expressed its hope that the State administration would continue the vigil to enforce all lockdown restrictions and in particular, ensure that large crowds are not allowed together contrary to the Government's Covid related directives.

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