"Acute Medical Crisis In Himachal Pradesh, COVID Has affected Urban As Well As Rural Areas": HP High Court Issues Directions

Given the fact that the State has witnessed a drastic surge in the Covid-19 positive cases and the fatality in the State are highest in the Country, the Himachal Pradesh High Court last week expanded the scope of a plea to the entire State regarding COVID Management The Bench of Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Chander Bhusan Barowalia was dealing with a plea filed in connection with the lack of oxygen facilities at a Government Medical College and non-functioning of 25 ventilators. The Bench noted that there was acute medical crisis in the State of Himachal Pradesh due to sudden surge and spread of COVID-19, which has engulfed not only the urban areas but has also reached the villages. It was also informed to the Court that many deaths have been reported during the past few days from the various parts of the State due to acute shortage of oxygen and there is an acute shortage of life-saving drugs, more particularly, Remdesiver, Tocilizumav and Favipiravir, which are crucial for saving the lives of the COVID-19 patients It was also submitted that in some instances, the dead bodies are allowed to be taken to home rather than being cremated/buried as per standard Corona protocol, thus, giving rise to the spread of Coronavirus amongst the family members and others. The Himachal Pradesh thus issued the following directions against the respondents: Increase the number of authorized laboratories/clinics/hospitals which can carry on the testing for a larger percentage of the population. Increase the number of testing being done in the bigger towns of the State. The State Government should consider the use of other kits, besides the Rapid Antigen Kit, or the RT PCR tests, for increasing the tests being carried out on daily basis. In order to increase the testing facilities in the hill districts of the State, the State Government should consider sending of 'mobile vans' which are fully equipped for carrying out the testing of COVID-19 virus. The State should increase the number of dedicated COVID-19 Hospitals. The State is also directed to consider the feasibility of establishing temporary hospitals with the help of any other Central agency. The State is directed to increase the number of beds available in the hospitals. It shall ensure that the majority of the beds are equipped with Oxygen tank and sufficient numbers of the bed are equipped with ventilators. If necessary, the number of ICUs in the hospitals should be increased. The State Government is directed to ensure that the PPE kits and other protective gears, such as gloves, masks, and sanitizer are provided to all the medical staff, especially to the Doctors, Nurses, Ward Boys to look after the COVID-19 patients. The State Government is directed to publish the names and locations of the testing centres, and the names and locations of Hospitals/Dedicated COVID-19 Health Care Centres in the media bulletin on a daily basis. The media bulletin should clearly indicate the total number of beds available in each hospital/Dedicated COVID19 Health Care Centres, and the number of vacant beds available in each hospital. It should also indicate the class of the beds i.e. the number of beds attached with ventilators, number of beds attached with Oxygen cylinders and the number of beds without any Oxygen tank/ Cylinder. We make it absolutely clear that in case the private hospitals refuse to cooperate or reluctant to provide Covid test and covid facilities, then the State Government shall forthwith resort to coercive steps as provided under the Disaster Management Act and also Essential Services Maintenance Act. The State Government shall be free to withdraw the incentive/ recover the amounts etc. Lastly, the State may proceed to take any other coercive or punitive step as may be warranted and otherwise permissible under the law. The State should also consider the purchasing of additional CT Scan Machines in the State as it is learnt that this machine is essential to detect the presence of the second strain of the Covid-19 virus. Also, the State was also directed to furnish the following information: Available bed capacity exclusively for Covid-19 facilities in the State both in Government and private hospitals along with the details of the availability of oxygen (high flow or otherwise). The state shall give the details of the steps taken and proposed to augment the availability of oxygen meeting both the current and projected requirementsPlace on record the plan prepared by the State Government under the Disaster Management Act to tackle the Covid-19 cases. Steps taken to ensure the availability of essential drugs including Remdesivir, Favipiravir and Tocilizumab amongst other prescribed drugs and the modalities which have been set up for controlling the essential drugs for preventing hoarding and ensuring the proper...

"Acute Medical Crisis In Himachal Pradesh, COVID Has affected Urban As Well As Rural Areas": HP High Court Issues Directions

Sparsh Upadhyay

Tags