HC seeks queries from Jharkhand govt over equipment & measures against COVID-19

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday

asked the state government regarding the measures taken by it in the fight against COVID-19 and about the availability of protective equipment and testing kits.

In response to a March 31 letter emailed by senior counsel Inderjit Sinha, the division bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad asked the state government to put up the matter on April 7 noon.

The bench also sought to know whether the state government has any positive figure regarding the number of persons returned or coming from outside the state during the period of lockdown or one week prior to that including foreign nationals and whether they have been screened or are being screened?

Seeking to know how many of them were quarantined at centres and how many were home-quarantined and the security measures taken so that they do not come in contact with the people in the locality, the bench also asked how many doctors and medical staff were engaged to take care of different quarantine centres, including persons at home-quarantine?

How many personal protective equipment have already been supplied and how many are in reserve and how many of the screened persons have found positive with coronavirus, the bench asked.

 

The bench further sought to know how many testing kits are available with the state and how many of them have already been supplied at various centres and how many ventilators are available and how many would be required to cater to the present crisis?

Lastly, the bench asked whether basic amenities, medical equipment, medicines and food are being provided to them.

The letter of the senior advocate had raised among other issues that doctors and the support staff do not have personal protective equipment despite the demand made by them.

The bench said that the Advocate General, Rajiv Ranjan, made a response to that and assured the court that a sufficient number of PPE were being supplied and within a week there would be sufficient numbers available to cater to the requirement.

However, the bench put up the queries as it said it required a statement from the state government and no affidavit would be required to be filed and a response to the queries would be required on behalf of the state government.