SC asks Centre to apprise it about accommodation to quarantine doctors near hospitals

The Supreme Court Friday asked the Centre to apprise it about steps taken for quarantining doctors and medical staff engaged in fight against coronavirus in accommodations near the hospitals itself.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B R Gavai, which took up the matter through video conferencing asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, to take instructions and apprise it by next week.

During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for doctor-petitioner Arushi Jain, said that resident doctors in government hospitals, after completing 7/14 days on duty, are supposed to be quarantined.

He said these doctors are quarantined in places where they have to share rooms, bathrooms but it should be done in places, where social distancing can be maintained.

Rohatgi said this type of arrangements would defeat the purpose of quarantining and corona warriors will fall down.

He said the government should requisition such hotels and guest houses where proper facilities are available and social distancing could be maintained.

He said he was not seeking any adversarial order but is only asking for suitable accommodation with necessary facilities near the hospital for the doctors and medical staffs, who are in forefront of dealing with Covid-19 pandemic.

He added that there must be some standard operating procedures as doctors are also facing problems in travelling from their residences to the hospitals, facing trouble in housing societies and the government should help them, or these frontline warriors will fall down.

Mehta said that Centre has issued directions to all state governments to requisition hotels and guest houses for the doctors and medical staffs, which include budget hotels and five-star hotels.

He said that necessary steps are already being taken but if there are any aberrations in any particular instance, it can be brought to the notice of the government and it would be resolved.

Mehta said that government is taking every steps to protect the warriors and directions have been issued and it is now a criminal non-bailable offence to attack doctors or asking them to leave the house or housing society.

The bench asked Mehta, to consider the suggestions given by the petitioner for providing doctors accommodations nearby the hospital for quarantining.

Mehta said that some advisories are under considerations of the government and this would be one of them.

Rohatgi intervened and said that what the Solicitor General is saying is too few too little as directive is fine but it should be told as how many hotels or accommodations are there.

He said there should be a helpline for doctors and medical staffs to complain about any problem they are facing/
The bench asked Mehta as to why can't the government consider requisitioning other places with better facilities near the hospital itself?