NHRC team visits LNJP Hospital for on-spot assessment of COVID Facilities

On Thursday, a team of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) visited Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital for an on-spot assessment of facilities for Coronavirus care in view of allegations that despite beds, the patients were being denied admission & treatment.

The team, led by its member Jyotika Kalra interacted with the hospital administration, doctors, staff & some patients there. The team visited the emergency & the ward with beds allotted for the COVID patients.

Kalra told reporters that "We have come here to take stock of the situation after NHRC took suo moto cognizance on the complaints of the patients regarding discrepancies in availability of beds on Delhi corona app & in hospitals".

Jyotika Kalra said that the idea of the NHRC's visit is to help hospital administration to plug loopholes in their functioning & not just find faults.

However, she said that the commission would continue to keep a check on the facilities of the LNJP hospital & may also visit some hospitals in the national capital under the Union Health Ministry.

The team will prepare a detailed report & submit it to the commission.

According to an official release by the commission, the team was informed that no serious patient was denied admission & as such only those patients are being admitted whose condition is serious; others having minor symptoms are being advised for home quarantine.

The hospital administration claimed that they are being referred patients by various doctors without any proper protocol, NHRC said.

The release said that "On the delay in shifting of dead bodies, the hospital administration informed that only due to problems in lifts on some occasions, there might have been some delay but mostly the bodies are shifted immediately. The patients are being allowed to carry mobile phones & there is no such restriction. Home food is also being allowed. Additionally, the hospital canteen has been providing breakfast, lunch & dinner as per schedule".

It said that "The team found several beds were lying vacant. However, the hospital administration said this is as part of the requirement in coming days, even additional equipment like dialysis machines & ventilators have also been kept ready for any exigencies. About 23 per cent of doctors & para-medical staff have been kept ready aside for deployment on a need basis".

The NHRC member observed that at hospital entry gate proper & visible notice boards giving directions to the patients & their attendants were required.

NHRC said that "These should properly display the telephone number of an official who can directly guide them instead of a number which only gives another number to contact".

Source Link