Karnataka Health Minister slams WHO for exaggerating number of deaths in India due to COVID-19

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 7 (ANI): Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Friday alleged that World Health Organization (WHO), without any scientific evidence and rational reasoning, has said that number of deaths registered in India due to COVID-19 is not the actual numbers.
He added that every death in this country has been scientifically registered. Every death is registered in the most fragmented way in India, he further added.
While talking to ANI, he said, "WHO without any scientific evidence and rational reasoning has said that number of deaths registered in India due to Covid-19 is not the actual numbers. All Health Ministers present here have passed a resolution condemning this."
"We stick to our own numbers because this is the kind of practice & statistics that India has always followed. Every death in this country has been scientifically registered. Every death is registered in the most fragmented way in India," he added.
Earlier on Friday, a resolution was passed at the conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) strongly objecting to the World Health Organization's (WHO) estimates of 4.7 million COVID-19 deaths in India.
The sources further said that WHO estimates are "flawed" and that the assumptions and estimates are "unacceptable" to India.
The WHO matter regarding COVID-19 deaths was taken up during the Conference, under the chairmanship of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in the 14th Central Council of Health and Family Welfare Conference (CCHFW) in Kevadia, Gujarat.
Around 20 Health Ministers passed the resolution who were present in the CCHFW.
According to the WHO report, more than 4.7 million people in India are thought to have died because of COVID-19.
India has strongly objected to the use of mathematical models by the WHO for projecting excess mortality estimates concerning coronavirus and has said that authentic data is available.
Referring to excess mortality estimates, the Health Ministry said in a statement that the validity and robustness of the models used and the methodology of data collection are questionable. (ANI)