Steps to fight Covid: TS High Court voices displeasure

In reply to the report submitted by Director of Public Health , the Chief Justice pointed out that the same was not in conformity with the directions of HC

Hyderabad: A two-judge panel of the Telangana High Court on Monday voiced its displeasure at various aspects of the State’s stand in fighting the Covid pandemic.

In a near day long session, the panel comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy heard a batch of PILs pertaining to grievances of citizens during the pandemic alleging neglect by the State government. The panel had earlier ordered the Director of Public Health Dr Srinivas Rao to file reports with the regard to the data sought by the court.

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In reply to the report that was submitted, the Chief Justice pointed out that the same was not in conformity with the directions of the High Court. “The report does not pertain to the current month, but is for the past months and it is also cleverly drafted to mislead the court, the Chief Justice said, and came down heavily on Dr Srinivas Rao for the tardy report.

“Though the State has done a laudable job, it cannot take rest its oars as the battle is far from over”, the panel observed. The protection of people is constitutional duty of State. The State cannot abandon the people to face the wrath of the virus.  Like a nation under threat, the State has to be vigilant” the bench added.  The system needs to be strengthened even further. Only cosmetic changes are undertaken for strengthening the medical and health care system, the panel observed.

The panel held that the ‘bed to population ratio’ was not as per the WHO guidelines. Even as per the report filed by the State before the panel earlier in the month, there was no strengthening of infrastructure, the Chief Justice observed. The panel observed that as per the report, the State had marginally increased the infrastructure by adding 831 oxygen beds, 351 ICU beds, but reduced the regular beds to 357. Though the pandemic continues to affect the population in large numbers only 135 ventilators were added by the State which is ‘hardly a drop in the bucket’, the bench observed.

The court directed Dr. Srinivas Rao to file a graph in comparison with the number of positive cases and deaths from the States of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, AP, Karnataka and Delhi. The panel also observed that the number of testing labs needs to be drastically increased. From the report, it is obvious that only 10% of population is tested so far.

It directed the government and Director of Public Health Department to carry out the following directions — provide information with regard to five States qua, the tests and death carried out in the States with that of Telangana, to increase beds as they are far short of standards prescribed by WHO of 3:1000; increase the number of ventilators and inform about the installation of LOT in various major hospitals; to make CP, AP, BP, AP and high floor nasal  equipment which is the equipment between the oxygen cylinder level and the ventilator level available to the hospitals; the State should implement its undertaking with regard to establishment of live flash boards in Gandhi and Government Chest Hospitals; increase the number of mobile testing vans for homeless and destitutes keeping in mind population of each city.

The Director of Public should ensure increase in number of tests, establish helplines for potential suicides and increase vigilance with regard to increase in domestic violence cases, submit disaster management plan before the Court by November 16. The bench directed the matter to be heard on November 19.

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