Bombay High Court Asks Lawyer To Make Test Call To Pune COVID Control Room To Check Bed Availability

After a test call was made to the COVID control room of Pune, the Bombay High Court was informed that there were no ventilator beds available in Pune.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice GS Kulkarni was dealing with the Covid -19 situation in Pune, as it has earlier observed that the active cases in Pune are more than double of the active cases in Mumbai.

Pune Municipal Corporation's counsel Abhijit Kulkarni submitted that the city has everything in control and was catering to at least 30% of patients visiting from outside. He said that as of May 9, the district has 28,431 hospitalised cases of covid-19 and over 68,000 patients in-home quarantine. Out of this, Pune City has close to 8,000 people in hospitals. He submitted that PMC had increased the number of beds from 4,000 in February to 12,000 in May.

Kulkarni submitted two numbers with 18 lines in the 24/7 Corona Control Room. Advocate Inamdar opposed Kulkarni's claims and said ICU beds were not available.

The bench then asked Inamdar to call the Control Room and put the handset on a loud- speaker. The lady on the opposite line said there was no ventilator bed available when he called.

Kulkarni attempted to say that Inamdar's tone was confrontational. However, the response from the control room was the same even when the bench asked a few doctors present during the proceeding to call.

"If someone calls in distress, the call centre should ask for the details,even that was not done," Justice Kulkarni remarked.

"These matters require intense sensitivity. The commissioner should know that his job isn't over by just filing an affidavit. The (Pune) corporation has to ensure that the people for whom the corporation exists are treated with sensitivity," the bench added.

Kulkarni said he would brief the officers accordingly.

The Court also pointed out an India today report on the sorry situation on Palghar.

"Mr Pankaj Upadhyay is a reporter. He visited Palghar. What we saw was unbelievable. At the Palghar hospital, there were no beds, no facilities. Patients are lying on the floor. It was an eye-opener," Justice Kulkarni said.

"You will have to stop the infection at the threshold," the CJ told the State, "We have taken stock of the situation in MMR; now we'll be moving towards the rural areas. There is nothing on record about rural areas."

The case will now be heard on May 19.