Delhi HC Directs Centre and Delhi Govt To Ensure That Health Facilities Are Proportionally Increased As Per The Requirements of the Patients
Delhi High Court has directed both the Centre and the Delhi Government to keep a tab on the number of cases of COVID-19 that, as they have spiked in Delhi in the past 48 hours so that facilities both at Hospitals and pathological laboratories are proportionately increased, as per the requirement of the patients. The said direction is given by the Division Bench of Justice Hima...
Delhi High Court has directed both the Centre and the Delhi Government to keep a tab on the number of cases of COVID-19 that, as they have spiked in Delhi in the past 48 hours so that facilities both at Hospitals and pathological laboratories are proportionately increased, as per the requirement of the patients.
The said direction is given by the Division Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad in a PIL seeking more private hospitals in Delhi to treat COVID-19 patients.
The Petitioner had also asked for a direction to be issued to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, as well as to the Health Department of the Delhi Government, for allowing more number of pathological laboratories in Delhi for testing suspected COVID-19 persons.
The Petitioner had submitted that that as per the recent reports in the press, there are approximately 10,000 patients of COVID-19 in Delhi alone, but there are not enough hospitals for providing medical facilities to the citizens.
It was further informed by the Petitioner that while the Delhi Government has allowed certain private hospitals and private labs to treat and test COVID19 patients, the numbers are not enough considering the spike in cases.
Appearing for the Union of India, ASG Maninder Acharya informed the court that the Centre has framed norms for all the State Governments that are required to be followed for declaring a hospital as a COVID Hospital and ICMR has also laid down Guidelines for permitting private pathological laboratories to undertake tests for COVID-19 suspected persons.
Ms Acharya further submitted that there are 13 Government pathological labs and 15 private labs in Delhi that are permitted to test COVID-19 suspected persons.
Appearing for the Delhi Government, Mr Anuj Agarwal submitted that as per the revised
Guidelines, very mild/pre-symptomatic patients can go into self-isolation if they have adequate facilities at their residence and only if serious signs or symptoms emerge as specified in the Guidelines, should the patient be taken to a hospital.
Mr Agarwal further informed the court that the Delhi Government has designated 9 more private and 3 more government hospitals as facilities for treating COVID19 patients.
At this point, the court disposed of the petition by noting that there's no need to interfere in the present matter.
[Read Order]