LUCKNOW: City-based private physician, Dr DP Mishra, was left fuming when he received a phone call from the Chinhat community health centre (CHC) on Saturday morning asking about his wife’s health, almost two months after she died of Covid-19.
“It is horrible that these people have not updated their records.
When my wife and I were suffering from Covid, nobody called to ask for our well-being.
We tested positive on April 14 and were admitted to a private hospital on April 20.
I was lucky to have survived but my wife passed away on April 27.
I even got her death certificate made and they are irresponsible enough to call up families asking how the ‘patient’ is doing now,” said Dr Mishra, a resident of Gomtinagar.
Dr Mishra is the former medical superintendent of Balrampur Hospital and also served as the president and general secretary of the UP Provincial Medical Health Services Association (PHMSA).
“I told the man who called me that I can give heaven’s number for him to know how my wife is faring now,” he added sarcastically.
Like Dr Mishra, many city residents are being contacted by the call centres of the health department and district administration to seek update on the health of patients in their families, but only days and sometimes months after they have already died of the disease.
Posted at the National Health Mission (NHM), UP, Dr Anand Pratap Singh lost his 59-year-old father to Covid-19 on June 6.
“He tested positive and was admitted to a private hospital on May 18.
He died of Covid pneumonia and sepsis,” he said.
“All the call centres attached to various departments used to make regular calls during the time of his illness, but the calls continued even after his death.
I told them to update in their records that my father has passed away but the calls continued.
Finally, I blocked all these numbers two days back so that no more phone calls come through.
This constant badgering after the death of a loved one is highly insensitive and can be rectified by a minor update of data,” said Dr Singh.
When TOI contacted Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Lucknow, Dr Sanjay Bhatnagar, he accepted that such a mistake could have happened and would be rectified.
“Calls are now being made to all families on the list to collect data related to post-Covid complications.
We want to get an overview of the complications and arrange beds and other facilities,” he said.
“There is a possibility that some families which have already lost their patients received calls through those numbers which should not have happened.
We will inform our staff to update the lists accordingly,” the CMO added.