Delhi High Court Calls For Meeting For Installation Of PSA Plants By Large Hospitals Having Oxygen Capacity Twice The Normal Requirement

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Amicus Curiae, Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao to convene a meeting between Chairpersons of Delhi Municipal Corporations and Delhi Developmental Authority along with the representatives of large hosptials and association in the national captial for the purpose of installing PSA oxygen plants by such Hospitals having twice capacity of oxygen than their normal requirement.

A division bench comprising of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh directed thus:

"The bitter experience that everyone in NCT of Delhi has had with acute shortage of medical oxygen has certainly left a lessen to be learnt particularly by hospitals. It is high time that atleast the large hospitals having capacity of 100 beds or more should install their own plants which should have the capacity of atleast two times of the normal requirement."

The development came after the Court was apprised about the status of installation of oxygen PSA plants by both the Centre and Government of NCT of Delhi.

Observing that large hospitals and nursing homes with 100 beds or more should install PSA plants having twice the capacity of normal requirement, the Court went ahead to further observe thus:

"Similarly Hospitals with 50 beds capacity or more and less than 100 beds should install PSA plants which should be sufficient to deal with their regular requirment. Principal Secretary Health should take this aspect with hospitals."

Calling for a status report to be filed in this regard by next Thursday, the Court also hinted that the Municipal Corporations and Delhi Developmental Authority must also focus on relaxing their norms as the installation of such PSA plants will require taking over the parking spaces alloted to such hosptials.

"Since installation of such plants will require open areas, DDA and municipal corporations must bring about relaxations so that the plants could be installed without affecting the parking spaces available with hospitals and nursing homes." The Court observed.

Furthermore, the Court directed thus:

"These aspects should be addressed by municipal corporation and DDA for which purpose the amicus may cknvene a meeting with chairperson of municipal corporations and of DDA. Let the representatives of large hosptials and association may also be present in the meeting. CThese directions must be complied with all hospitals of GNCTD, UOI, municipal corporations and all Authorities and will be applicable for all nursing homes." 

The aforesaid direction came after the attention of the Court was drawn to the Status Report filed by the Centre on the installation of PSA plants stating that a total of 14 PSA plants have been installed, some of which have been installed by foreign aids and some by the Ministry. 

Advocate Nidhi Mohan Parashar also apprised the Court that the PSA plants that the timelines for the PSA Plants installed by way of foreign aid may differ.

In view of this, the Court also went ahead to observe that there shall be a Nodal Officer appointed to monitor the installation process in the national capital.

"We are of the view that, if still not done, both UOI and GNCTD should designate a nodal officer to monitor the installation of PSA Plants in GNCTD. We therefore direct both the governments to place on record the information of officer to be appointed for the same purpose. Status report to be filed on next Thursday." The Court observed at the outset.

Title: Rakesh Malhotra v. GNCTD & Ors.