Thursday, 29 April 2021 | PNS | Nainital
The Uttarakhand high court issued various directions to tackle the Covid surge in the state. It held an urgent hearing via video conferencing on the public interest litigations regarding the condition of the health facilities in the state considering the Covid pandemic. The matter was slated to be heard on May 10. Seeking an urgent hearing, the petitioners stated that hospitals lack adequate quantities of oxygen, Remdesivir injections and PPE kits while ambulance providers are overcharging patients. The petitioner contended that while hospitals are short of oxygen beds, proper facilities are not being provided for patients in home isolation. Further, RT-PCR tests are being done at a slow pace with about 30,000 test reports pending.
Hearing on the matter, the bench of chief justice RS Chauhan and justice Alok Kumar Verma directed the health secretary Amit Singh Negi to ensure that patients in home isolation are provided all necessary facilities without delay. Private hospitals and laboratories should be registered under the Disaster Management Act so that they can also start conducting RT PCR tests soon. All the district magistrates were directed to deploy Asha workers and NGOs to identify infected areas so that the patients can be provided treatment soon. The district magistrates were also directed to ensure that the public gets information daily about the availability of beds and oxygen in hospitals. The arrangements in cremation grounds should also be improved. The health secretary was also directed to make available Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana health cards to the poor and needy to enable them to get treatment in authorised hospitals. The court also expressed concern observing that while the national fatality rate of Covid patients is 1.514 per cent, the same is 1.542 per cent in Uttarakhand. The health secretary who was also present at the hearing via video conferencing was directed to submit an action taken report on the court’s directions by May 7 and remain present in the next hearing which will take place on May 10. The court also directed that 30,000 to 50,000 RT-PCR tests be conducted daily in Haldwani, Haridwar and Dehradun. It also asked the state to consider taking the help of 2,500 registered dentists in the state in Covid centres facing shortage of doctors. The government should consider opening a Covid centre in Ramnagar to lessen the load faced by the government hospital in Haldwani. The court also directed the appointment of a nodal officer in each district to hear the complaints of patients. Each district should make a Covid health portal which will provide hourly updates to people on hospital bed availability, medicines and other aspects. Action should be taken against ambulance owners overcharging the patients. Considering internet problems hampering online registration for vaccination in mountainous areas, the court directed that in such cases the vaccine should be administered without online registration.
It will be recalled that advocate Dushyant Mainali and Dehradun resident Sacchidanand Dabral had filed separate PILs regarding the condition of quarantine centres and Covid hospitals.
