On Saturday, the Gujarat High Court directed the state government to take 50% beds in all multi-specialty private and corporate hospitals in and around the city so that people suffering Covid-19 get better treatment and ventilator support.

After deliberating that the Civil hospital, Ahmedabad, has become worse than a “dungeon” and taking the state health minister, deputy CM Nitin Patel, to task for not managing the show, the bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice I J Vora wrote:

 “The state government is directed to issue a notification making it mandatory for all the multi-specialty private/corporate hospitals in the city of Ahmedabad and on the outskirts to reserve 50% of their beds (or such other capacity, as the state government may deep fit and proper on the basis of the increase in the number of cases). This should include all categories of beds to treat the Covid-19 patients with specific guidelines and SOPs which the state government may deem fit.”

For private hospitals reluctant to implement the Mo-Us, the HC asked authorities to initiate “legal proceedings” and “to prosecute” responsible persons under IPC and Disaster Management Act.

HC asks why 8 hospitals were left out

The government is empowered and it should not hesitate to use the power in situation like this, the court said.

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