Covid treatment: HC orders setting up ofDist panels to look into public grievance

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute, within 48 hours, a three-member Pandemic Public Grievance Committee (PPGC) in every district comprising one chief judicial magistrate (CJM) or a judicial officer, professor of a medical college and an administrative officer of the rank of additional district magistrate (ADM) to look into the grievances of the public with regards to difficulties faced in Covid treatment in the state.
The court further directed that in rural areas complaints can be made directly to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of concerned tehsil, who shall transmit the same to PPGC. The committee will also take the trouble of looking into all the viral news itself.
Earlier, the state government counsel had informed that the government had announced a compensation of Rs 30 lakhs to those who caught Covid infection during panchayat election duty, on which the court asked the state government to rethink about the compensation amount and increase it to Rs 1 crore.
The court observed, “It is not a case that somebody volunteered to render his/her services during election but it was all made obligatory to those assigned with election duty to perform their duties during election even while they showed their reluctance.”
While hearing a PIL relating to Covid care, a division bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar said that the recent surge of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state is engulfing in it the remote rural areas and smaller city and town areas of almost all the districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The court went on to observe, “It would be in the fitness of the things that purchase of vaccine is not only expedited but vaccination programme is launched at a war-footing. Even in our last order we had made clear that unless and until everyone was vaccinated, nobody was safe. We hope and trust that the state government would try to purchase as many vials of desired vaccines as possible to vaccinate the maximum number and at least more than 2/3 of the population in 2-3 months time.”
Not satisfied with the affidavit filed by Badugu Deva Paulson, secretary (home), Government of Uttar Pradesh, the court said that neither the required information as mandated by its earlier order was given nor compliance was made of its various directions passed earlier.
The court was unhappy with the affidavit as no information regarding the number of ambulances in the state or the meal provided to Covid patients of government hospitals were stated in the affidavit.
The court directed the state government counsel to apprise it as to how the state is managing Covid hospitals, requirement of oxygen, beds and life saving drugs and gadgets in districts of Bahraich, Barabanki, Bijnor, Jaunpur and Shravasti.
The state government was also asked to disclose in its affidavit the number of testing done in these places (urban and rural) and laboratory from where the testing were being performed.
The data has to be given from March 31, 2021 to May 10.
The bench showed its concern about the vaccination of physically challenged persons and asked the Central government to apprise it as to how it proposes to inoculate such persons who cannot be brought to the vaccination centres and then those who cannot make online registration.
Earlier on May 4, 2021, the bench had taken notice of the death of a sitting judge of the high court due to Covid-19. During the course of hearing, records related to his treatment were placed before the court and after going through it, the court directed the state government to constitute, within three days, a committee that will have a secretary level officer as its convener with a senior pulmonologist from SGPGI, Lucknow and a senior advocate to be nominated by the president/ Elders Committee of Awadh Bar Association as its members. The committee will conduct a fact-finding enquiry into the treatment administered to late Justice VK Srivastava and submit the report to the court within two weeks.
The court also directed that no coercive measures shall be taken against Lucknow’s Sun Hospital and its staff, pursuant to an FIR lodged by Lucknow administration for allegedly raising “false rumours” about oxygen shortage.
The court also said that death in cases of suspected Covid cases shall be treated as Covid death for limited purpose and observed, “If no TrueNat report is there and if antigen turned out negative of a patient, such patient’s case is taken as suspected one only, so no Covid protocol is followed and if he dies, his dead body is handed over to the members of family of the deceased without Covid protocol, which is quite a serious issue.”
The court has fixed May 17, 2021 as the next date of hearing in the case.