Death Ascertaining Committee (CDAC) at the District Level for issue of the official document

What this notification does

The Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, in G.O. Ms. No. 411, Health and Family Welfare (P1), dated 22nd September 2021, creates a Covid-19 Death Ascertaining Committee at the district level and a separate committee for Greater Chennai Corporation. The notification is meant to issue an official document for COVID-19 death, based on guiding principles of the Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Who is on the committee

For districts, the committee includes these members:

• District Revenue Officer, who is also District Registrar of Births and Deaths, as Chairman.
• Joint Director of Health Services, as Member Secretary and Convener.
• Dean of the Government Medical College.
• Deputy Director of Health Services and Additional District Registrar of Births and Deaths.
• Deputy Director of Health Services of the Additional HUD.
• Professor of Medicine from a Medical College Hospital, or one physician from District Headquarters Hospital.
• Professor of Microbiology from a Medical College Hospital, or District Epidemiologist.
• Commissioners of Corporations or Municipalities.

For Greater Chennai Corporation, the committee is separately listed with the Commissioner and District Registrar of Births and Deaths as Chairman, and the City Health Officer as Member Secretary and Convener, along with named medical and public health members.

When a death can be treated as a COVID-19 death

The notification says:

• COVID-19 cases include those diagnosed by positive RT-PCR, molecular test or RAT, or clinically determined by a treating physician in a hospital or in-patient facility.
• Deaths due to poisoning, suicide, homicide or accident will not be considered COVID-19 deaths, even if COVID-19 was an accompanying condition.
• If a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death in Form 4 or 4A has been issued for an unresolved COVID-19 case, it will be treated as a COVID-19 death.
• Deaths occurring within 30 days from the date of testing, or from the date of being clinically determined as a COVID-19 case, will be treated as deaths due to COVID-19, even if death occurs outside hospital.
• If a patient remained admitted beyond 30 days in the same admission and later died, that will also be treated as a COVID-19 death.
• If the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death is not available, or the next of kin is not satisfied with the cause shown in it, the committee can issue the official document for COVID-19 death.

How families are affected

The next of kin must submit a petition to the District Collector for issuance of the appropriate official document for COVID-19 death. The committee must scrutinize petitions received through the District Collector once in a week.

The notification also says:

• The committee may interview stakeholders to validate information in death related documents.
• The committee may examine grievances of the next of kin and propose remedial measures, including an amended official document after verifying facts.
• The official document must also be communicated to the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, the Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths, and the Registrar of Births and Deaths who issued the death certificate.
• Applications for the official document and grievance redressal must be disposed of within 30 days of submission.