Make swine flu labs functional in Aurangabad, Latur: HC to state

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) has directed the state to make swine flu diagnostic laboratories in Aurangabad and Latur functional, and also to submit a plan to set up similar labs in other districts to test patients in western Maharashtra by Novemberend. In an earlier hearing, the court had come down heavily on the state for not complying with previous orders to set up labs state-wide, pointing it out as a reason why the number of deaths due to the virus had kept increasing.

A division bench of justices RM Savant and Nitin Sambre was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist and advocate Datta Mane regarding the failure of the government to take steps to counter the menace of the swine flu virus, inadvertently causing many innocent people to lose their lives.

The counsel for the petitioner pointed out that since the PIL was filed in 2015, the state had done little to set up diagnostic labs in different parts of the state. The counsel said that patients from parts of the state which did not have diagnostic labs were forced to travel to cities to get tested. However, the delay would often lead to the patient succumbing to the virus, thus violating their rights to health facilities.

The counsel said that though a June 2018 order had given the state three months to expedite the setting up of labs in all districts of Maharashtra, no action had been taken. After hearing the submissions, the bench came down heavily on the state and directed it to submit details of plans to address the problem, failing which con- tempt proceedings would be initiated against them.

Last week, the state filed two affidavits enumerating the measures they were initiating to address the problem and comply with the HC order. The first affidavit filed by Dr Prakash Bhagwan Bhoi, joint director of health services, Pune, mentioned that two laboratories had been set up in Aurangabad and Latur and labs in districts of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur would also become functional within two to three months.

The second affidavit filed by Dr Jayprakash Rathod, nodal officer, directorate of medical education and research, Mumbai, mentioned the dates by which labs in the different districts of the state were likely to be started.

After hearing the submissions, the court said that a hearing on compliance would be held on November 28 and the state should endeavour to fulfil the undertakings given in the two affidavits in a time-bound manner.

THE HC ALSO ASKED THE STATE TO SUBMIT A PLAN TO SET UP SIMILAR LABS IN OTHER DISTRICTS IN WESTERN PART OF THE STATE BY NOVEND