Delhi HC Issues Notice On Plea Seeking Proper Arrangements For The Treatment of Both COVID and Non-COVID Patients in Delhi Hospitals [Read Order]

The Division Bench of Justice Hima and Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad has issued notice to the Delhi Government.

In a previous order in the same PIL, the Delhi High Court had directed the Delhi Government to ensure that the accredited labs in Delhi, which are testing samples for COVID19 infection, should be giving reports within a period of 24/48 hours.

The court had further directed the Delhi Government to ensure that its website is continually updated to regularly reflect the correct number of tests that are being conducted for COVID-19 in Delhi, mention the number of cases that are positive or negative and state the number of results that are pending after the tests are conducted.

In the present application, the Petitioner has sought court's direction to the Respondents to make arrangement of proper treatment for COVID/non-COVID patients in hospitals.

Mr Rakesh Malhotra, the Petitioner who appeared in person, submitted that there have been several instances where non-COVID patients are required to undergo surgery and other emergent procedures in the hospitals and the concerned hospital requires the patients to undergo a Covid-19 test before the said procedure or surgery, but is unable to conduct the test as they are not permitted to do so by the State Government.

Through this application, the Petitioner also wants the Delhi Government to publish the correct data on their websites, in terms of the order dated 04.05.2020 passed in the present petition.

In addition to this, the Petitioner submitted that the government and all the hospitals/Nursing homes who have been permitted to treat COVID-19 patients, must publish on their websites, the status of vacancy of beds on a daily basis so that patients are not made run from pillar to post.

The Petitioner had earlier argued that both the Delhi Government as well as the Central Government has not taken expeditious steps to furnish reports after conducting tests for COVID19 on suspected people, within a reasonable period of 48 hours or even earlier.

The said delay, as per the Petitioner, further pushes the process of contact tracing which leads to rapid multiplication of the virus in the city.

The court will next take up the matter on June 11.

Click Here To Download Order

[Read Order]