Quick service delivery might be the buzzword in the administrative corridors now, but the experience of R.S. Praveen Raj, a Scientist at CSIR-NIIST, a Central government institute, leads to the question whether this is seen at the implementation level. His father, P. Rajagopal, passed away on January 19. Two months and several phone calls and e-mails later, he is yet to get the death registered by the City Corporation.
The application for registration is being held up over a technicality — whether the death happened in their house or in a vehicle, on the way to the hospital. According to Mr. Raj, the death happened at his residence at 6.30 p.m. on January 19, when his father was about to be taken to hospital as he complained of breathing difficulty.
“My colleagues were helping me shift my father to the car waiting outside, and they were all witness to his death. Since none of us were experts to confirm the death, the body was carried in a colleague's car to PRS Hospital. The death was confirmed by a doctor and he told me that the patient was ‘brought brain dead.’ The death was not in the vehicle,” says Mr. Raj.
Registrar’s version
Registrar of Deaths C. Ummuselmat says the inquiry conducted by the Nemom Health Inspector says the death happened on the way to the hospital. “For every death we conduct local inquiries. And, we trust our Health Inspectors. The problem can be solved if the person in charge of the vehicle reports the death with his documents,” she says.
Mr. Raj says the driver was his colleague, a Group-A Gazetted officer. “I cannot compel him to give a false statement. I had reported that my father died at home. Therefore, I need to challenge the false report of the Nemom Health Inspector. The intent of Registration of Births & Deaths Act is to obtain accurate data regarding every birth and death in the country for the purpose of statistics. But, here, bureaucratic ego is dictating me to lie to get this death certificate,” he says.
