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Stats don’t match, complain PHIs

15 Feb 2021

  • Say discrepancies could create false sense of security 

  • Health Min’s Epidemiology Unit defends numbers 

   Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) are complaining that the number of Covid-19 cases seen in the field are higher than the officially reported numbers, and that this could lead to the general public not grasping the extent of the spread of the virus. “There are discrepancies between the numbers officially reported and the numbers we find in the field,” Public Health Inspectors’ Union (PHIU) President M.G. Upul Rohana told The Morning yesterday (14). The Morning reported last week that the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) too had pointed out that there were discrepancies reported in the patient numbers. Speaking to us, GMOA Deputy Secretary Dr. Naveen de Zoysa said that discrepancies in hospital capacities being reported in official sources and the numbers that medical staff in those respective hospitals encounter daily, are making health workers lose faith in the information provided. “Certain data about hospital capacities are contradictory. Though these contradictions may not reach the public, they reach the healthcare sector, and they are aware of the true numbers in their respective hospitals. When these numbers are not included in the officially declared numbers, it makes them lose faith in the information given out.” When inquired as to the cause of such discrepancies, Ministry of Health Epidemiology Unit Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera told The Morning yesterday that there is room for discrepancies and that the numbers released to the public by the unit are “cleaned” data as opposed to the “uncleaned” data collected in administrative data systems. “The same test sample is sent for tests multiple times and there could be duplications in the administrative data systems which are cleaned before publication. The administrative data systems are for internal use and do not reflect the actual numbers. So, the numbers in these systems may be higher than the accurate numbers that are finally released after cleaning the data through cross checking.” When inquired about discrepancies witnessed by PHIs, Dr. Samaraweera said that certain cases that are identified by PHIs in their MOH (Medical Officer of Health) areas could have been calculated by the Ministry of Health under a different area, such as the area of the workplace of the infected person if the infection took place at that workplace. 


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