Act on immediate steps suggested by panel to fix govt hospitals’ infra: HC to chief secretary

THE DELHI High Court has directed the Delhi government's chief secretary and the principal health secretary to implement within the stipulated time “immediate measures” suggested by a court-appointed six-member panel to address the issues plaguing the infrastructure of Delhi government hospitals.

The HC, on February 13, appointed the 'expert committee' of doctors headed by Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) Chancellor Dr S K Sarin. The HC was hearing a 2017 suo motu plea initiated over the alleged lack of ICU beds and ventilators in government hospitals.

Injanuary,thecourthadtaken note of a report in The Indian Express on a man, who was injured after jumping out of a PCR van, being denied medical treatmentbythreedelhigovernment hospitals, and had later died.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, in its April 16 order, observed, “Since the immediate measures have been recommended for implementation within thirty (30) days, this court directs the chief secretary, GNCTD, and the Principal Health Secretary, GNCTD to implement the said measures within the timeline stipulated by the expert committee”.

The HC further directed the Delhi government's chief secretary and the principal health secretary to also indicate a “road map” on how they intend to “implement” the “intermediate and long term measures” within the timeline stipulated by the expert committee. The HC also asked the principal health secretary to file an “action taken cum status report” within four weeks.

“As the immediate recommendations of the Dr S K Sarin Committee of doctors shall go a long way in saving human lives and are not political in nature, this court directs that the Model Code of Conduct shall not be a hindrance,” the bench underscored.

It further gave the expert committee the liberty to file a supplementary report within four weeks. The matter is next listed on May 24.

The bench in its order pointed to the executive summary mentioned in the committee's April 1 interim report.

The committee recommends that “15% of the vacant posts in all categories to be filled within 30 days” to ensure the availability of infrastructure, medicines, and adequate manpower in the Hospitals for operating/managing high-end medical equipment/critical care units in the hospitals. Another short-term measure suggested by the committee is to adopt the PPP model or leasing models for procuring various equipment such as ultrasound machines, dialysis machines, ventilators, lab diagnostic machines, ICU and cardiac monitors.

The committee, as a shortterm measure, has also suggested the establishment of a "centralised command and control room" (CCR) by the IT Department of Delhi government. This should be manned by trained professionals round the clock, the report added.