ARE YOU NOT CONCERNED ABOUT LIVES OF COVID PATIENTS, HC ASKS CENTRE
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday questioned the Central government as to whether it was not concerned about the lives of Covid patients, after the Centre in its affidavit defended the company which supplied faulty ventilators, but said nothing about the remedial measures it was going to take to address the issue of defective and dysfunctional ventilators received by the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Aurangabad from the Centre.
The court observed that the Centre’s affidavit also raised a doubt on the efficiency of the doctors and technicians at GMCH, Aurangabad, by claiming that around 3,000 ventilators provided to other states were functioning properly.
The vacation bench of justice Ravindra Ghuge and justice Bhalchandra Debadwar was hearing a suo motu criminal public interest litigation (PIL) initiated by the HC after news reports pointed to a shortage of Remdesivir and oxygen, improper facilities and plight of patients who could not afford treatment of Covid and black fungus infection, improper bed management in hospitals, profiteering by ambulance service providers, among others.
The bench had also taken note of news reports which stated that 113 of the 150 ventilators received by the GMCH, Aurangabad under the PM Cares Fund had malfunctioned, and hospitals and doctors refused to use them as it posed a threat to the lives of patients being treated for Covid-19.
On Friday, the Centre submitted its response wherein it stated that the ventilators were purchased by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and categorically denied that they were purchased through the PM Cares Fund.
Assistant solicitor-general Ajay Talhar for the Centre said that there was no fault in the ventilators manufactured by the Rajkot-based company as there were no complaints about the 3,000 ventilators supplied by the company to other states. Talhar said the 113 ventilators had malfunctioned as the doctors and technicians had not followed instructions while making the ventilators operational.
The court expressed shock at the submissions and asked, “Are you holding the brief for the company? Are you not concerned about the lives of the citizens?”
“We expected you to say that you will take immediate steps and ask the company to address the issue and ensure that proper installation of the ventilators was done along with imparting training to the hospitals on using them. But you seem to be more interested in defending the company,” the bench added.
After the rap from the bench, ASG Talhar submitted that MOHFW would take all remedial steps and ensure that the ventilators operate normally and all defects, if any, would be rectified. It has now posted the PIL for further hearing on June 2.