Alleging that his mother was falsely identified as coronavirus positive, K Sambasiva Rao, a resident of Guntur, has written a letter to district collector Samuel Anand demanding justice.
On June 26, 64-year-old Kondabathini Tirapathamma succumbed to COVID-19 while availing treatment at the Guntur Government Hospital.
As per pandemic protocol, Tirapathamma’s family members, who were her primary contacts, were kept under isolation. A few relatives, accompanied by Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) authorities, performed her last rites.
However, recently, on July 7, Sambasiva Rao received a jolt when he got a call from the private hospital where Tirapathamma was availing treatment before she was tested positive for the coronavirus, saying that his mother was falsely identified as a coronavirus patient.
Based on this, Rao now believes that the Guntur Medical College was negligent and falsely identified his mother as a coronavirus patient. “It was painful. We were devastated and went into depression as we could not even see her for the last time,” Rao told TNM.
However, hospital authorities assert that Tirapathamma was indeed tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the COVID-19 disease.
Guntur Government Hospital Superintendent Dr K Sudhakar told TNM that the misunderstanding was caused due to a ‘clerical error.’
“We received three such similar complaints, which were caused due to clerical errors,” the Superintendent said.
“After doing the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test work, first the test result would be uploaded and notified to the doctor. Next, the same result would be uploaded in the portal for the central government. While making this entry, the laboratory seems to have wrongly identified them as negative. Tirapathamma’s case is a clear case of COVID-19. She had lesions in her lungs. She is 100% a COVID-19 patient,” insisted the Superintendent.
As per the government hospital’s records, Tirapathamma is a coronavirus patient.