Chennai, Apr 5 (IANS): K. Navas Kani, Member of Parliament from Ramanathapuram, on Sunday demanded action against Stanley Hospital for alleged carelessness in the wake of death of a 71-year-old person due to coronavirus.

He said that the delay on part of the hospital authorities to report the victim's corona positive status had created a big scare among those who attended his funeral.

According to Kani, victim Jamal of Chennai had returned from Dubai last month and was home-quarantined. Jamal was admitted to Stanley Hospital here on April 2 and his samples sent for corona test.

However, Jamal died the same day even though test results had not come by Saturday night. It was only on Sunday morning that the government announced that he had died of Covid-19.

Kani said the hospital authorities committed a big mistake by handing over the body to the relatives even before the arrival of test reports, saying Jamal had died of some ailment.

"The body was taken to Keelakarai in Ramanathapuram district for funeral from Chennai. And many attended the funeral. Had it been known that he was a Covid-19 patient, the body wouldn't have been brought to Keelakarai," Kani told IANS.

According to him, the government is now putting in quarantine all those who had attended the funeral.

"Let there be a probe and action if some pressure was exerted on the hospital authorities to release the body," Kani added.

Kani said the hospital authorities should have kept the body till the test results were out, and then based on the medical advice the body could have been suitably disposed.