Observing that people were fighting a major battle against COVID-19, the Uttrakhand High Court has urged the State government to take proper steps in order to protect citizens from the onslaught of the pandemic.
The Court, in this regard, urged the State government to encourage people to donate plasma in order to assure that there is no shortage of over-charging of the drugs used for the treatment of COVID-19.
A Bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma issued a set of directions in two separate matters in relation to COVID management. The High Court was earlier scheduled to deal with the petitions filed on the COVID-19 crisis on May 10. However, due to the ongoing critical condition in the State, the petitioners requested to advance the date of hearing.
Case of the Petitioner
The petitioner demanded an online portal in order to check the availability of oxygen, cylinders, and flow- meters are made available to the public at large.
Case of the Respondents
The State informed the Court that the number of dedicated hospitals had been increased from five to twelve, and the number of dedicated Covid health centers from twelve to sixteen. The Court was also informed that there were three units producing oxygen tanks and that there was no dearth of availability of oxygen tanks within the State.
“In fact, this is a State, which is providing oxygen cylinders to the neighboring states such as Uttar Pradesh and Delhi”, the Court was told.
Observation of the Court
"Needless to say, it is a constitutional mandate, and the moral duty of the State to save its people from the pandemic. The State must provide real-time critical information to its citizen. The State should co-ordinate with other Stares, such as Telangana and Rajasthan, where the softwares have already been created for informing public about the critical information through the Real Time Portal”, the Bench observed.
With respect to black marketing of the Remdesivir, the Court directed the concerned authority under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to instruct drug inspectors to carry out inspections within their jurisdictions and to ensure that there is no shortage of over-charging of the drug used for COVID-19 treatment.
The assigned drug inspectors should ensure the QR Codes are affixed on each packet of Remdesivir.
“In case any pharmacist is discovered to be hoarding, or selling Remdesivir over the permissible price, the concerned Drug Inspector shall take action against the concerned pharmacist, but strictly in accordance with law”.
Case Details
Before: Uttrakhand High Court
Case Title: Anu Pant v. State of Uttrakhand
Coram: Hon’ble Mr.Justices Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Alok Kumar Verma
Read Order@LatestLaws.com
Share this Document :
Picture Source :
