However, the system that registers births and deaths and issues certificate has shown more than 1.4 lakh excess deaths compared to the numbers from 2019 – before the pandemic struck the State. Citing this discrepancy, Arappor Iyakkam, an NGO, has urged the State government to set up a simple grievance redressal mechanism for revision of cause of death so that children who lost parents to the pandemic would be eligible for compensation.

Explaining this, Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of the organisation, said the bulletin has notified only 19,929 COVID-19 deaths this year (till June 25). However, the government’s civil registration system (CRS) that records data on the number of death certificates has revealed that the government has issued a whopping 1,56,528 death certificates in the last 30 days alone. That is an excess of 1,42,143 deaths between January 1 and June 25 compared to the same period in 2019.

“The data shows that the excess mortality is at least 7.13 times the declared deaths for the entire State between January 1 and June 25,” he said. He pointed out that the excess mortality happened between April and June, particularly in May when pandemic second wave was at its peak. Arappor Iyakkam has already sent its report relating to six hospitals to the Chief Minister, Health Minister and Chief Secretary seeking immediate action. He said a lot of children eligible for compensation because of losing a parent to COVID may have to run from pillar to post unsuccessfully because of the wrong marking of the cause of death if there was no grievance redressal mechanism.

“Now that the government’s civil registration system itself has confirmed excess mortality, the government must immediately act to ensure that a mechanism is set up to independently audit mortality for revision of COVID death numbers, ensure a simple grievance redressal mechanism for revision in the medical certification for cause of death for those who passed away due to COVID as per WHO and ICMR guidelines,” Venkatesan urged.