The Delhi High Court on Saturday observed that unpreparedness of the health infrastructure in the national capital had compelled many desperate citizens of Delhi to seek admission and medical attention at hospitals in the neighboring states.
"It is a matter of public knowledge that the deadly, highly infectious nature of the second wave of COVID-19 and the unpreparedness of the health infrastructure in the city had compelled many desperate citizens of the NCT of Delhi, like the petitioner's father, to seek admission/ medical attention at hospitals in the neighboring states," Justice Rekha Palli said.
The observation came while hearing a plea of a man seeking a direction to the respondents Delhi Govt and others to provide seven doses per day of Liposomal Amphotericin B Injection/Amphonex-50 mg for his father.
The petitioner told the court that his father is suffering from COVID-19 and has been admitted to Medanta Medicity, Gurugram, Haryana.
"It is the petitioner's case that his father has been hospitalised for COVID-19 treatment for over a month now and was prescribed the injection over six days ago. Ever since then, the petitioner has been desperately petitioning the respondents and the health departments of the Central Government and the Government of Haryana to help him get the medicine, to no avail," the court said.
The court also did not accept the Delhi Government's submission that since the petitioner's father is not taking treatment from a hospital situated within the NCT of Delhi but has, instead, been admitted to a hospital in Haryana, the petitioner ought to approach the concerned authorities in Haryana for these reliefs.
"This submission of respondent no.1 (Delhi Govt) has been noted only to be rejected," the court said.
The court said that there is a definite urgency in the matter, as the father of the petitioner has been battling with COVID-19 for over a month and the administration of this drug, which he has already been deprived of for the last six days, would determine his recovery.
"The life of the petitioner's father hangs in the balance. I am, therefore, of the view that it would be in the interest of justice to direct respondent no.1 to take a compassionate view towards the petitioner's request and, if at all possible, to provide his father Arvinder Singh with the necessary medicine for his treatment, at least for the next few days," the court said.
It also issued notice to the State of Haryana and listed the matter for further hearing on May 25.
( With inputs from ANI )
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