Shimla, Nov 13 (UNI) With the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state, the High Court of Himachal Pradesh on Friday asked the state government to increase the number of ventilators, beds and Oxymeter in all COVID hospitals and centres.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice L Narayana Swamy and Justice Anoop Chitkara passed these orders on a petition taken up suo moto by the Court as Public Interest Litigation on a news article published a few days ago, which said the COVID-19 ward in IGMC hospital of Shimla has been packed to capacity.

During the hearing on Friday, the Advocate General told the court that there are currently around 2,400 vacant beds for patients of Novel Coronavirus in dedicated COVID Care Centres in the state. There are nearly 2,600 isolation beds, including ICU beds in these centres, the AG said.

After going through the submissions filed by the state, the court observed that sufficient ventilators were not available in COVID hospitals. Sirmaur and Bilaspur districts have just one and four ventilators, respectively, the court said, asking the state to consider the suggestions made by the Amicus Curiae.

The Amicus Curiae in the case said that short-term economic gains cannot be allowed to endanger long-term public health and welfare, and suggested regulating the entry of tourists and outsiders in the state.

He also suggested encouraging e-commerce, imposing time-specific restrictions on economic activities, reintroducing the odd-even (valley-mountain side) scheme for opening of shops in market places, giving cash transfers to daily-wage earners and providing incentives such as soft loans to the people dependent on tourism.

UNI ML RJ 1948