THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On Tuesday, S Shaj Kumar, 59, was discharged from the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (MCH), where he was undergoing treatment for Covid. The results of his antigen test had come negative, but his symptoms had hardly subsided, say his family members. Even a day after returning home, Shaj Kumar — who was the station manager at the Central Railway Station here — continued to experience severe cough and fatigue. On Friday, he collapsed and died. An RT-PCR test on his samples conducted later showed he was positive.
“Had the hospital authorities let him continue his stay until his symptoms subsided, or at least carried out an RT-PCR test before discharging him, he would have still been alive. We took him to the hospital immediately after he collapsed, but it was still too late,” said Vaisakan V S, Shaj’s son-in-law.
Post-Covid issues could have led to Shaj’s death, says MCH official.
“We were shocked when the results of the Covid test conducted after his death came positive,” said Vaisakan.Shaj, who was just a few months away from retirement, tested positive for the virus on April 12 and was soon admitted to the MCH. “On April 20, he was discharged. He was fatigued and had a severe cough. We thought he was recuperating. He was doing okay on Friday as well, until he suddenly collapsed around 4.30pm. He had a cardiac arrest,” said Vaisakan.
According to an MCH official, post-Covid issues could be the cause of death. “We discharge patients after 10 days. As per our current policy, once a patient stabilises, we declare him/her as Category A and send them for home care. However, post-Covid issues are very common. Myocardial infarction, memory issues, tastelessness, diarrhoea, fatigue, etc, are seen in those who have recovered from Covid. Any severe issue relating to the lungs, heart or brain could turn fatal,” said the official.
On Saturday, the district administration took a decision to further increase the number of Covid patients at the MCH. “We have decided to cut down non-Covid care and increase the number of beds for Covid patients. We need more emergency facilities because cases are steadily rising every day,” the official added. With the entire health machinery on its toes, it has become a challenge for the state to take care of patients needing post-Covid care.
Meanwhile, Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association state secretary G S Vijayakrishnan said RT-PCR test results can be positive even weeks after recovery. “According to ICMR guidelines, a patient can be discharged from the hospital without carrying out an RT-PCR or antigen test after 10 days of admission. However, Kerala continues to carry out these tests and only stable patients are discharged,” he said.