PIL for immediate treatment of COVID-19 patients in govt hospitals devoid of material: HC

The Delhi High Court has termed a PIL seeking a direction to the AAP government to ensure people with COVID-19 symptoms as well as other critically ill patients are immediately admitted to hospitals and adequate treatment is provided to them, as devoid of material details.

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar, conducting the hearing through video conferencing, warned the petitioner that if he filed another plea casually, costs would be imposed on him for wasting the court's time.

Petitioner, consumer rights activist Bejon Kumar Misra, withdrew the plea and submitted that he would file a better plea with material particulars.

After some arguments, counsel for the petitioner seeks leave to withdraw the writ petition, which we find is devoid of material particulars. He states that he shall file a better petition with material particulars. This petition is, accordingly, dismissed as withdrawn with liberty as prayed for.

At the same time, we make it clear that in case the petitioner files another petition equally casually, the petitioner would be subjected to costs for wasting the time of the court, the bench said in its order.

The plea, filed through advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi, alleged there have been several reported incidents of coronavirus patients being denied admission by government hospitals "on one pretext or the other".

It alleged that a Delhi Police constable lost his life due to denial of admission by two government hospitals.

The plea had sought setting up of a court monitored committee into the alleged instances of denial of treatment to COVID-19 and other critically ill patients by Delhi government-run hospitals.

Besides, it had also sought establishment of a centralised database and communication system with a unique toll-free number which COVID-19 and other critically ill patients could use to find out availability of doctors and beds in government hospitals, so that prompt medication can be provided to them.