Hospitals yet to implement UPHRC directives

LUCKNOW : Directives of the Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission (UPHRC) to government and private hospitals to display the status of beds on their notice boards are yet to be implemented. The Commission will take up the issue at its next hearing.

Last week, the UPHRC had issued the directives to hospitals to display availability of Covid and non-Covid beds and how many were lying vacant, on their notice boards. The Commission had directed the government to apprise it within 10 days. However, no hospital has complied with this directive of the UPHRC.

The Commission had pointed out that this practice will ensure transparency in admission of patients and will help them approach the hospital with bed availability, quickly and without any wastage of time.

“The UPHRC has also taken note of the issue of non-compliance of its directives by hospitals. At the next hearing, the Commission will take up this issue,” said GS Chauhan, lawyer, Lucknow high court.

The Commission had also directed the state government to review its decision relating to the need of a referral letter from the CMO office for admission of Covid-19 patients in hospitals and to end this system. The government has now scrapped this referral letter system.

“Even after scrapping the referral letter system for admission of Covid-19 patients the situation has not improved in Lucknow. Hospitals are denying admission to patients and hiding details of availability of beds,” added Chauhan.

Even the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh has taken up the issue of hospitals denying admission and hiding details related to beds, with the state government.