MARGAO: As many as 73 “sudden death” cases, besides 100-odd “suicide” cases in South Goa district in 2022 has thrown up a debate amongst the medical fraternity over the reasons behind these rising deaths post-COVID 19 pandemic.
Take note, the 73 sudden deaths have occurred not amongst the older population, but in the age groups below 50 and in persons in their 30’s. Similarly, suicides have shown a rise both amongst the young generation and the elderly population after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Statistics compiled by the Department of Forensic Medicine, South Goa district Hospital, Margao has come out with shocking revelations, especially in respect of the 73 sudden death cases and the suicide cases. Around 57 deaths were related to accident deaths, indicating that deaths on the South Goa roads have taken place every week.
Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine, GMC posed as in-charge of the department/Mortuary complex, South district hospital, Dr Madhu S Ghodirekar told the media that analysis of the 73 sudden death cases revealed the deaths have taken place in persons below 50 years of age.
“This is a matter of concern as such deaths have come up after the COVID pandemic. We have not come out with the male and female break up of the deceased due to sudden deaths, but we know of a death of a person who was 32 years. They have either died of heart attack or brain haemmorage. In fact, this is happening across the country and Goa seemed no exception”, he said.
He added: “I cannot say whether it was due to COVID vaccine or whether one did not take the Covid vaccine. Western countries are concerned of the new COVID strain, but the question that remains unanswered is whether we are not strong enough than we were three years ago”.
He said some of these 73 sudden death cases relate to some people who had come down to Goa for normal work. ‘We have instances of four people either collapsing either before boarding the flights or after coming out from the light . We have come aross around 5-6 cases in the last one year at the airport and the port”, he said, adding “this is a something a matter of concern.”
He said the South Goa district mortuary had handled around 93 hanging cases, 34 drowning cases, deaths due to smothering, etc. “There are reports that suicidal tendencies have gone up after the COVID pandemic.The study is presently underway to find out the exact cause of the suicides across the country. May be unemployment, people loosing jobs here and abroad may be the cause of these suicides after the Covid pandemic,” he added.
Dishing out the statistics for the calendar year 2022, Dr Madhu said the district hospital mortuary has conducted a whopping 559 post mortem examinations. “Out these, 93 were hanging cases, 73 sudden death cases, 57 motor vehicle accident cases, 35 railway-related death cases, 34 drowning cases, eight Covid cases, two deaths due to electrocution, two poisoning cases, two strangulation, two smothering cases, two traumatic asphyxia cases, one snake bite case, one burns case, one gunshot case, one foetal death, and one homicidal drowning death.
“We have carried out 60 linical examinations, and 1,236 bodies preserved in the morgue, of which 556 were medico legal bodies, 398 were non-medico legal bodies and 282 were preserved on private request,” he said. The state of the art South Goa Mortuary has a capacity to preserve as many as 72 bodies at a time.
The Mortuary Complex of Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, South Goa District Hospital started partly functioning during the Covid crisis.
“The first body was preserved on September 23, 2020, following the second wave of Covid 19. Facilities for postmortem examination were acquired by the end of November 2020, and full fledged post mortem procedures were shifted from Old Hospicio Hospital to the New Department Complex by December 2021. The morgue complex has a total body capacity of 72 bodies and is capable of conducting 3 autopsies simultaneously,” Dr Madhu added.
Besides Dr Madhu, Dr Anup Chandran and Dr Bharat Sreekumar are both posted at the district hospital mortuary on bond duty by the GMC.
