Yogi warns DMs, CMOs not to flout Covid orders
LUCKNOW : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday warned district magistrates (DMs) and chief medical officers (CMOs) against flouting government orders, rules, and directions related to Covid-19 management in the state.
“Ensure that every patient gets a bed. Whether the need is for oxygen, ventilator or lifesaving medicines, ensure they are provided (to the patients). Bed allocation and hospital discharge policy must be implemented effectively,” he said at a Covid review meeting.
“All district magistrates must introduce a sector system (for Covid management) and appoint sector-wise magistrates in respective districts. If any district was found violating government orders, rules, instructions (related to Covid management), the district magistrate and the CMO concerned will be held accountable,” he added.
He asked the chief minister’s office and chief secretary’s office to keep tabs on all the districts.
After continuous efforts, an oxygen demand-supply balance was achieved in Lucknow, Kanpur, Bareilly, Varanasi and Gorakhpur regions of the state, the chief minister said. Asking officials to improve the situation further, he said similar
gen negative report should not be a ground to discharge a patient as such patients could still infect others. They needed to be shifted to non-Covid wards for at least a week. For this, the government needed to gear up to
set up makeshift wards on the campuses of hospitals, the court said.
The court directed that government hospitals be provided with sufficient medicines and injections, including Remdesivir, for patients. The oxygen supply to hospitals should remain uninterrupted, the court said.
On the difficulties faced by Covid-19 patients, the court observed, “If even after seven decades of our attaining freedom with so many heavy industries set up, we are not able to provide oxygen to our citizens, it’s a matter of shame.”
The court said the authorities concerned must ensure proper management of doctors, medical and paramedical staff as they were all working day and night and getting infected as well.
On certain reports of attacks on medical staff by the public, the bench said, “When near and dear ones die, they go frustrated at the system of healthcare in the state and soft targets of their ire are the medical and paramedical staff.”
“The situation overall in the major cites of Uttar Pradesh has gone very chaotic for the current Covid surge. Whether it is day or night, the ghost of Corona is marching on the roads and streets of the major cities of the state and it can be anybody’s fate. Those who are resourceful will survive and the rest as histories of past pandemics tell us may die for want of proper healthcare. As the government in its wisdom has resolved to only two days’ weekend lockdown to break the chain and has further proceeded with some measures as a sequel to that, but mere fact that number of positive cases, as have been shown to have been reduced a little in numbers due (to) two weekend lockdown days, nothing remarkable seems to have been achieved on the front of public health care to the satisfaction of the people,” the bench observed.
The state government was asked to increase the number of ambulances immediately and to ensure that ambulances must be well equipped with life-saving devices.
The bench also directed the government to ensure that every Covid related death was reported to a judicial officer to be appointed by district judge at the end of the day. The government should also ensure the correctness of the data forwarded to the officer concerned each day. Further, cremation in Covid death cases must be done as per the guidelines issued by the government.
The bench observed, “We make it clear that we will not tolerate any paperwork or public announcements to show account of the steps taken and its sufficiency as it is now an open secret that government had gone complacent due to weakening of virus impact by the end of 2020 in the state and the government got more involved in other activities, including panchayat elections.”
“Had it been constantly vigilant, it would have prepared itself to face the onslaught of the pandemic in its second wave. Posterity would never forgive us if we remain oblivious to the real public health issues and let the people die for want of adequate health care,” the bench added. The court said,
“Though we acknowledge the fact that government alone cannot fight with its available resources and needs people’s cooperation and active participation of various other non-government bodies, but those in power must shun the attitude of ‘my way or no way’ and should welcome suggestions from all the quarters.”