Accurate reporting of Covid cases & deaths imperative for allocation of drugs, oxygen & vaccines: Madras High Court
Emphasizing on the appeal made by Hon’ble Prime Minister for accurate reporting of the number of CoVID cases & deaths the Madras High Court bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee & Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy while hearing suo moto petition pertaining to management of CoVID in the state has asked the State Government to ensure accurate reporting which would not only help in getting adequate supply of oxygen & drugs but also enable study for future use.
“The government should be keen on reporting & should report adequate deaths. It has only been 7 days that this govt has taken over the office. We cannot blame any government for creating this problem. We are one of the educated states in the country & this would be an ideal place for reporting accurate CoVID deaths. We are not blaming the government & saying that the government should take steps & report an accurate number of deaths.”, the Court said.
The Court also took note of the dearth of vaccine in the state & the papers filed by the Central Government disclosing letter of May 16, 2021 issued by Dept of Pharmaceuticals & Ministry of Health enclosing allocation & supply plan upto May 23 & remarked that, “There are sizeable portion of people to whom vaccination is to be administered.”
Request has also been made to the ASG to look into the state wise allocation of Remdesivir & the state has been directed to check on the price charged by private hospitals for administration of Remdesivir.
“It is indicated that the country is completely independent on import of the drug. The DCG indicates that there are domestically produced drugs which are either equivalent to the products. While the drug directly reaches private hospitals, there must be a check on the price charged by private hospitals since one of the difficulties faced is massive bills generated by private institutions according to healthcare facilities.”, the Court said.
The Court on the submissions made by the intervenors on the aspect deprivation of regular supply of Oxygen for elder patients observed that the state along with taking care of the emergency situation is also under a mandate to take care of the needs of the elderly & not compromise the same in the wake of the pandemic.
“Patients should be able to receive oxygen & state should ensure continuous supply for such purposes.”, the Court observed.
With regards to the presence of dead bodies of people who succumbed to CoVID in wards several hours after the patient's death, the Court observed that, “ The protocol not being maintained has also been highlighted. It is submitted that such dead bodies demoralise the other patients surely & the authorities need to remove them as soon as possible. If there has been a Covid death, even though an overwhelming factor may have been other comorbidities, the protocol has to be maintained so that the body does not become a source of other infection. Dead bodies are not being treated with dignity & efforts should be made to ensure that bodies are departed with Dignity.”
The Court has also asked the state to address the issue of treatment of children below the age of 18 years affected due to CoVID.
“Based on some media reports that children may be more vulnerable to the virus immediately or in the forthcoming months, some further plans need to be put in place by State & UT to tackle the issue & it is hope that they do not hit us. Children are difficult to control even if they are admitted to hospital. Children need additional care & may not respond to their relatives. This area needs to be addressed so that there is a plan in place.”, the Court said.
The matter will now be heard on May 20, 2021.