Due To Delhi Health Infrastructure's Unpreparedness, Many Citizens Compelled To Seek Medical Attention In Neighboring States: Delhi High Court

The Bench of Justice Rekha Palli was dealing with a plea by the petitioner, whose father is suffering from COVID-19 and he sought a direction that he be provided seven doses per day of Liposomal Amphotericin B Injection/Amphonex-50 mg for his father.

It was the petitioner's case that his father had been hospitalised for COVID-19 treatment for over a month now and he was prescribed the injection over six days ago.

Further, it was stated that ever since then, the petitioner had been desperately petitioning the respondents and the health departments of the Central Government and the Government of Haryana to help him get the medicine, to no avail.

Responding to the petition, the counsel for the Government of Delhi submitted that since the petitioner's father was not taking treatment from a hospital situated within the NCT of Delhi but has, instead, been admitted to a hospital in Haryana, the petitioner ought to approach the concerned authorities in Haryana for these reliefs.

To this, the Court said that this submission has been noted only to be rejected and further remarked,

"It is a matter of public knowledge that the deadly, highly infectious nature of the second wave of COVID-19 and the unpreparedness of the health infrastructure in the city had compelled many desperate citizens of the NCT of Delhi, like the petitioner's father, to seek admission/ medical attention at hospitals in the neighbouring states."

However, noting that the father of the petitioner had been battling with COVID-19 for over a month and the administration of this drug, which he had already been deprived of for the last six days, would determine his recovery, the Court said,

"There is a definite urgency in the matter. The life of the petitioner's father hangs in the balance. I am, therefore, of the view that it would be in the interest of justice to direct the respondent no.1 (Delhi Government) to take a compassionate view towards the petitioner's request and, if at all possible, to provide his father with the necessary medicine for his treatment, at least for the next few days."

The matter has now been listed for further hearing on May 25.

Case title - Manan Singh v. Government of NCT of Delhi & Ors.

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