Pune: Home-quarantined patient blames PMC after COVID-19 produces false negative

Pune:  Health Department officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) were blamed for their lackadaisical attitude by the family of a patient who initially tested negative for COVID-19 and was sent home with the home-quarantine stamp on his hand but the next day his report came positive. PMC officials, on the other hand, claimed that the patient had run away from the quarantine centre.

The concerned patient and his family members were admitted to the quarantine centre at New English School in Hadapsar. His family members had tested negative for Covid-19 and they insisted that they be allowed to go home. While the family members were allowed to return home, officials refused permission for the patient.

Officials claimed that after this denial, the patient headed for the queue where citizens were standing for getting stamped for home-quarantine. He misled the authorities and went home without permission. Meanwhile, a politician also called up the doctors at the quarantine centre and abused them, claimed officials.

Family of the patient has denied all the allegations made by health officials against them. While questioning the PMC officials, the family raised many questions. "Why did the health officers did not file an official complaint against us? How did they stamp the patient's hand with home-quarantine mark without confirming his reports," the family has said.

He had recently returned home after the officials had put a home-quarantine stamp on his hand since his report for COVID-19 test came negative. The same patient 'tested positive' in another report received the next day by the officials.

Similar incidents were reported from the quarantine centres located in other parts of the city as well. A 70-year-old man who had tested positive for Covid-19 had managed to flee the quarantine centre at NICMAR in Balewadi area and walked 17 kilometres to his home at Yerawada in April.

"We never hand over any report to any patient after he or she is tested positive for Covid-19. Thus, the patient who is showing his report in the viral video is lying,” Dr Sachin Narwade, Health Officer, PMC said.