By Nayak Paudel

Morang, May 18: Nepal reported the first death of COVID-19 on Sunday. As per the Ministry of Health and Population, the deceased was a 29-year-old woman of Sindhupalchowk. The identity of the woman was not disclosed.
However, it was not long before information about her was disclosed in social as well as news media.
While some disclosed the deceased’s information through mass media, some raised their voices urging people to not do so as it was an indecent behaviour.
“Why are the name, address and photo of the individual who died due to COVID-19 disclosed everywhere? We should not violate other’s right to privacy,” read a Facebook status by Amrita Lamsal, a women’s rights activist.
According to the directive issued by the Press Council for all types of media and journalists regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, one must pay attention to individual secrecy.
The second responsibility stated by the Press Council in the directive mentions that the identity of the confirmed case should not be disclosed without the consent of the infected and permission from the concerned authority.
Similarly, the sixth responsibility in the directive states – journalist and media should not disseminate the scene and photos of the person whose life has been claimed by the infection.
However, the deceased’s photo alongside her information has been published by some media.
The directive by Press Council states that they would take action against the journalists and media under Press Council Act, 2048 and Journalist Code of Conduct, 2073 (Amendment-2076), if one is found going against the directive.
As per the experts, even medical sector should follow the ethics and not disclose the information of any patient to anyone.
“Disclosing the information of the individual who died due to COVID-19 is an unethical behaviour. The Nepal Medical Council should look into it and investigate if any medical practitioner was involved in disclosing the issue,” said Dr Madan Upadhyay, founding vice-chancellor of the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences.
While the information of the deceased is being disseminated freely in the mass media, people have urged to stop it because it affects the life of the family members of the diseased as well.
“Contact tracing is important but to throw her (the deceased) name left and right, showing a video of her body lifted in worst of circumstances is disheartening! The infant she left behind is going to see these digital footprints! Have we lost all decency during #COVID19,” read a tweet by Hima Bista, a women’s rights activist.
According to a tweet by Makar Shrestha, a journalist associated with Kantipur daily who spoke with the deceased’s husband, he was saddened seeing his wife’s photo across the social and news media.
In his tweet, Shrestha wrote that the husband of the deceased said, “Photo of my wife who died of COVID-19 has been published in social networks and news. It has added more pain. Please don’t do it.”