HC seeks plan of action on jabs for those with disabilities

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has sought the Tamil Nadu government to submit a plan of action to deal with vaccination of people who are either homebound or have serious disabilities.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy before whom a plea moved in this regard came up said, “The State will indicate a plan of action to deal with vaccination of persons who are either homebound or with serious disabilities, so that such vulnerable people are both protected and are not inconvenienced in seeking to be inoculated.”

Also, on recording Advocate-General R Shanmugasundaram’s submission that appropriate measures are being taken by the State, the Chief Justice said, “However, the vaccination drive appears to be rather slow because of the non-availability of vaccines at the moment.”

“As to the availability of vaccines in future, an affidavit has been filed by the Union in the suo motu proceedings initiated by this Court in the wake of the second surge of the pandemic,” the CJ observed.

Based on this, the court posted the plea to June 7 for further hearing after directing the State to submit the plan by then. The petitioner, M Karpagam, had sought for a direction from the State government to frame a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for vaccinating homebound persons and persons with disabilities at institutions or nursing homes.

As to the availability of vaccines in future, an affidavit has been filed by the Union in the suo motu proceedings initiated by this court in the wake of the second surge of the pandemic Sanjib Banerjee, Chief Justice

CHENNAI: Recording the State’s submission that the larger focus of COVID treatment is on allopathy, the Madras High Court adjourned a plea seeking immediate creation of special hospitals with Siddha practitioners and homoeopathy doctors in all primary health centres in Tamil Nadu.

Advocate General R Shunmugasundaram made the submission in this regard before the first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy.

The bench, while adjourning the PIL to June 7 for further hearing, held, “It is submitted by the advocate general that at some government hospitals and centres already provide treatment based on alternative medicine depending on the patient’s choice. However, it is submitted on behalf of the State that the larger focus has naturally been on the regular form of treatment, particularly in respect to patients who are severely affected by the virus,” the court added.

The plea had sought to establish Siddha and homoeopathy centres as these systems do not require highly sophisticated infrastructure or para-medical manpower.

A plea had sought to establish Siddha and homoeopathy centres as these systems do not require highly sophisticated infrastructure or para-medical manpower

The bench also adjourned another plea that sought the Centre and State to allot sufficient funds to set up an exclusive Siddha Treatment Facilities Centre with an inpatient facility in every district within a time frame.