COVID-19 put on death certificatesof symptomless patients: MLA

Mr. Swann said there may have been occasions when medical professionals would have recorded COVID-19 as a cause of death despite the deceased not having tested positive for the illness.

One MLA said he knew of a number of grieving families who believed their late loved ones had had wrong causes of death recorded.

The matter was raised by SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan at the Stormont Health Committee.

“In recent weeks families in my constituency and throughout the Western Trust have lost loved ones to various illnesses: cancer, heart disease and others not related to COVID-19 and with no symptoms of such. However, when it came to the death certificate, it outlined COVID-19 as the cause of death. The Minister will know that will cause great distress to many families. They would argue that that is entirely incorrect, because there was no test to suggest such or, in the event of such a test, it tested negative. Is the Minister aware that that is happening? Will he explain why it happens and say whether an instruction is coming from his Department to the medical professionals who are doing that?” asked the West Tyrone MLA.

Mr. Swann replied: “I can assure the member that there is no instruction coming from my Department to register COVID-19 deaths where the person has not been diagnosed with it. I will say to the member that, if a death is registered in the community where there have been or there are suspected to have been COVID-19 symptoms, there may be an occasion where a medical professional will record it on the death certificate, even if there has not been a positive case.”

He said the matter had been raised with his department, stating: “It is something that I am looking into, but, with regard to a direction being given, there would be no rationale or reason why we would ask any medical professional to record COVID-19 on a death certificate when it was neither proven nor suspected.”

Mr. McCrossan said: “It is a sensitive issue, and it would come as a great surprise to families who find themselves in such circumstances. Without going into the details of the case, I am aware that there were no symptoms in this particular matter and that the person was not on a COVID-19 ward or anything like it. It was very sudden, and there was a clear reason for it.”