Northern Turkey hospital records COVID-19 patient's death as 'regular'
The death of a COVID-19 patient in northern Çorum was recorded as caused by an infectious disease, which is a regular death. The 82-year-old man had been receiving COVID-19 treatment for 20 days. "We were shocked to see the death certificate. They still said we had to wear masks and gloves to pick up his body," the deceased man's son said.
Duvar English
The death of an 82-year-old man who had received COVID-19 treatment was recorded as a regular death in the northern province of Çorum on Aug. 17.
Mithat Bal died in Erol Olçok Research and Teaching Hospital, where his death went into official records as caused by an "infectious disease," which is considered a regular cause of death, excluding Bal from official COVID-19 numbers.
Mahmut Bal said that his father had been receiving treatment for COVID-19 for 20 days, but that his death certificate didn't reflect that at all.
"We were shocked to see the death certificate. They still said we had to wear masks and gloves to pick up his body," Bal said.
Mithat Bal's wife Zülal Bal is receiving intensive care for COVID-19 as well, their son said.
Ankara's official COVID-19 numbers have been the source of nationwide controversy, often deemed to underestimate the actual number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) had slammed Health Ministry policies that didn't attribute COVID-19 patients to coronavirus if they tested negative, even if they were treated for it.