This story is from September 7, 2020

PDU Rajkot will study Covid-19 impact on human body through autopsy

In a first, Gujarat will perform post mortem on victims of Covid-19 in order to find out where all the novel coronavirus has the maximum effect on the human body.
PDU Rajkot will study Covid-19 impact on human body through autopsy
<p>Autopsy room of PDU Medical College in Rajkot<br></p>
RAJKOT: In a first, Gujarat will perform post mortem on victims of Covid-19 in order to find out where all the novel coronavirus has the maximum effect on the human body.
PDU Medical College in Rajkot has been chosen as the first hospital in Gujarat to carry out the research, while pathological autopsies on bodies of victims are already being carried out at Bhopal’s All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS).

Confirming the move, Dr Hetal Kyada, head of forensic medicine department of PDU Medical College and additional superintendent of Covid Hospital, said: “Through autopsy, we will be able to carry out major research in the treatment of Covid-19 positive patients.”
“PDU Medical College will be the first in the state to perform autopsies on victims of Covid-19. However, this is not possible without the consent of the deceased patients’ kin. If they consent, we will keep the identities of the patients and their relatives secret,” he said.
“So far, only Bhopal AIIMS had been carrying out pathological autopsy. Now, Rajkot too will study the virus and its impact,” he added.
While this has been a major decision, the move has been seen as a way to placate the rising tempers after Rajkot registered a sharp spike in number of cases as well as deaths from Covid in the past one month.
Apart from political backlash, the state government has also come under pressure from the citizenry about the mismanagement of Covid-related data and transparency in the publication of related details.

Sudden rise in deaths due to Covid-19 also forced principal health secretary Jayanti Ravi and other top officials to camp in the city to manage the situation and normalize matters. Nearly 320 people succumbed to the virus in August alone, while more than 40 have died in the past four days of September.
While the situation is yet to improve in Rupani’s home town, nearly 1,500 teachers from 350 government schools have been roped in to help the district administration carry out testing in 18 wards of the city.
Meanwhile, Ravi on Sunday took stock of the medical facility in Rajkot civil hospital. According to sources, the district administration asked Ramnath crematorium, located near the hospital not to share death figures of suspected Covid patients with media. The sources also claimed that it has been decided to send Covid bodies for cremation to other crematoriums too, and, interestingly, perform cremations during night time only.
Higher officials have, however, remained tight-lipped on these issues.
Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has asked all medical shops to maintain a register of people buying cold and cough-related medicines and share details with the health team.
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