The Allahabad High Court’s Division Bench comprised of Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar has asked the State Government of Uttar Pradesh to file its response regarding to installation of life saving gadgets in the community health centres of different tehsils of the districts of the State and directed to disclose the number of testing done in urban and rural areas and laboratory from where the testing is being performed.
The Court while dealing with a Public Interest Litigation pertaining to Covid-19 issues has expressed its concern over the recent spike of Covid infections in rural areas or sub-urban areas.
In its last order the Court had directed the State Government to file an affidavit showing the plan for rural areas and smaller cities. In compliance of that order the State government has submitted its response before the court and stated that in rural areas Community Health Centres and Primary Health Centres were being monitored and proper treatment was being administered to the patients even from the stage of Covid ILI symptoms were shown.
It has further stated that under the Covid campaign that started on 5th May, 2021 recently a survey was conducted of around 2,92,41,314 houses in the entire State, out of which 4,24,631 persons were found with certain symptoms which were enough to place them to be suspected covid cases and they were, accordingly, distributed medicine kits.
It has been informed to the court that sufficient number of oxygen concentrators, BiPAP machines and High Flow Nasal Cannula Masks had been provided to the Community Health Centres.
The Court has expressed that may be the directives have been issued for providing life saving gadgets to various community health centres of different tehsils of the districts of the State but the issue is that how many of them have really been installed in the community health centres.
The Court said that such details are required to be known because in rural areas by and large the facilities are not available and the villagers are dying of Covid for want of proper care.
Accordingly, the court has directed that, in respect of the districts of Bahraich, Barabanki, Bijnor, Jaunpur and Shravasti, following details of City and Rural areas be submitted to this Court on affidavit:
(I) Number of city population;
(2) Number of level-1 and level-3 hospitals with details of beds; (3) Number of doctors, anesthetists in level-2 level-3 hospital;
(4) Medical and paramedical staffs
(5) Number of BiPAP machines and High Flow Nasal Cannula Masks
(6) Number of rural population tehsil-wise,
(7) Number of community health centres,
(8) Availability of beds in community health centres
(9) Number of life saving gadgets like High Flow Nasal Cannula Masks, BiPAP Machines;
(10) Number of oxygen concentrators with capacity details in community health centres,
(11) Number of medical and para-medical staffs.
The Court has further directed that,
“The State shall also disclose in its affidavit about number of testing done in these places (urban and rural) and laboratory from where the testing is being performed.”
The present matter has been listed on 17th May, 2021 by Court for next hearing.
Case Details:
Case: - PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. - 574 of 2020
Petitioner: - In-Re Inhuman Condition At Quarantine Centres And For Providing Better Treatment To Corona Positive
Respondent: - State of U.P.
Counsel for Petitioner: - Gaurav Kumar Gaur, Abhinav Gaur and others.
Counsel for Respondent :- C.S.C., Arun Kumar, Ashish Mishra and others.
Bench: Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar
Read order:
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