Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 4

The coronavirus death rate in Punjab is about 7.6 per cent—nearly three times higher than the national average of 2.75 per cent.

The state reported a total of 65 cases until Saturday. Punjab does not have the highest number of cases, but its death rate is alarmingly among the highest.

Among the most-affected states, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu—both have more than 400 cases—the death rate is below 5 per cent.

The higher percentage of death rate might be an indicator of the dwindling healthcare system in Punjab, warn experts.

However, Dr Manjit Singh Bal, former head and professor of Government Medical College Patiala, said that age and immunity of the patient were major factors determining mortality.

He said, “We have to consider the age-demographics and immunity level of the people in the respective area to get the exact reason for the high percentage of deaths from COVID-19 in Punjab.”

A 42-year-old Ludhiana woman is likely to have died due to the dwindling healthcare system. She was moved to Patiala Civil Hospital due to the lack of ventilators in Ludhiana. It took hours to reach Patiala and her condition deteriorated because she could not access the breathing equipment.

Activist and former registrar of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Dr Pyare Lal Garg, said the government had taken “good” measures but it should provide more powers to the Civil Surgeon instead to the Deputy Commissioner because “we are admist a health crisis”.

“Civil Surgeon would have referred the patient to a private hospital in the Ludhiana immediately,” said Garg.

Punjab Health Minister, Balbir Singh Sidhu, said that three out of five deaths in the state were that of aged people. He said patients who died due to the virus had co-morbid conditions. Sidhu said that the other major factor was that cases were not diagnosed at an early stage. He said, “Bhai Nirmal Singh came to the hospital very late. Similarly, the 42-year-old Ludhiana resident, who died at Patiala, was diagnosed with COVID-19 only in the last stage.”