Allahabad HC raps Yogi govt, says medical system in small cities, villages is 'Ram bharose'
The observation by the bench comprising Justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar came when it took note of the submissions made by a three-member committee that examined the alleged disappearance of a patient from the district hospital in western Uttar Pradesh's Meerut town in April.
FollowThe Allahabad High Court has once again made scathing observations about the Uttar Pradesh government's handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, stating that the health infrastructure in villages and small cities were 'Ram Bharose' (at God's mercy).
The observation by the bench comprising Justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar came when it took note of the submissions made by a three-member committee that examined a patient's disappearance from the district hospital in Meerut town in April.Â
It emerged that the body of 64-year-old Santosh Kumar, who had collapsed in the bathroom and died, was disposed of as unidentified by the medical college hospital. The committee submitted that the night duty doctor was not present and that the hospital administration failed to even trace Kumar's file.
The court observed that if the doctors and paramedical staff adopt such a casual approach and carelessness in their duty, then it is a case of serious misconduct as it is akin to playing with the lives of innocent people.
The court noted that if this is the state of affairs of treatment at a medical college in a city like Meerut, then the entire medical system of the state pertaining to the smaller cities and villages can only be described as 'Ram Bharose'.
The court went on to cite a specific instance of the Bijnor district to highlight the state of affairs.
The court observed, "In Bijnor, the urban population as per 2011 census is shown to be 925312. We have no doubt in observing that it must have gone up 25% more by 2021, but there is no level-3 hospital in Bijnor. Three government hospitals have only 150 beds. The total number of BIPAP machines is five, and High Flow Nasal Cannula is only two."
"Let's consider the population of rural areas to be 32 lakh. There are only 10 Community Health Centers. One health centre has a load of 3 lakh people. Against 3 lakh people, it (health centre) has only 30 beds. Meaning thereby one CHC can cater for the need for health care to only 0.01 per cent population. And there is no BIPAP machine or High Flow Nasal Cannula available."
"If we have to test 30 per cent of the population, i.e. almost 10 lakh in the rural areas of Bijnor within three month's time, then we will have to conduct 10000 tests per day. But from the statement made by the District Magistrate, we do not see any such robust testing in the near future in district Bijnor," the court noted.
NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
