[BREAKING] State of affairs of medical facilities in Uttar Pradesh villages, small towns "Ram Bharose": Allahabad High Court in COVID case

The Allahabad High Court took a dim view of the state of affairs prevailing in Uttar Pradesh with respect to the medical facilities and medical system in the State. .A Bench of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar took exception to the fact that dead body of one of the patients, Santosh Kumar who had collapsed in the bathroom and died, was disposed of as unidentified body. ."If this is the state of affairs of treatment at medical College in the city like Meerut then the entire medical system of the State pertaining to the smaller cities and villages can only be taken to be like a famous Hindi saying ‘Ram Bharose’," the Court remarked. .In this regard, the Court cited the specific example of Bijnor district. "In district Bijnor the urban population as per 2011 census is shown to be 925312. We have no doubt in observing that it must have gone up 25% more by 2021, but to our utter surprise there is no level-3 hospital in district Bijnor. The three Government Hospitals have only 150 beds, whereas, the total of number if BIPAP machines is 5 and High Flow Nasal Cannula is only 2," the Court noted. Likewise, the rural population in the Tehsils is around 27,55,000, again as per 2011 census and so it must have also increased 25% by now, the Court said. "If we take 5 the population of rural areas to be 32 lacs then since there are only 10 Community Health Centres, so one health centre has the load of 3 lac people and against 3 lac people it has only 30 beds. Meaning thereby, one CHC can cater the need of health care to only 0.01% population and there is no BIPAP machine or High Flow Nasal Cannula available. Only 17 oxygen concentrators are available with 250 oxygen cylinders against 300 beds," the order said. The Court further said that the situation is similar as regard testing mechanism for COVID-19."If we have to test 30 percent of the population i.e. almost 10 lacs in the rural areas of district Bijnor within three month’s time, then we will have to conduct 10000 tests per day, but from the statement made by the District Magistrate we do not see any such robust testing in near future in district Bijnor," the order stated. Further, the court also expressed its displeasure over Covid-19 testing in rural areas, in comparison to urban areas and directed the Uttar Pradesh government to immediately ramp up testing in rural areas and in small cities and towns. "In the population of thirty-two Lakhs, if the testing is done of only 1200 persons and that too in 60:40 ratio then the situation is not happy.".The court also took note of the reply sought by the government regarding the vaccination process in Uttar Pradesh. It was informed by the state counsel that a global tender has been invited by the Uttar Pradesh Government for the same. In addition to this, the court suggested following aspects which for the government's considetation:1. The vaccines may be first vigorously tested and only thereafter may be given out for use by the public. For this various incentives may be announced. 2. Big medical companies which are working in the country may not have their own vaccines but they may take the formula from just any of the vaccine manufacturers in the world and start producing the vaccine. In this way, they would help the country to meet the shortage of vaccines which it is facing today. "For that matter, one cannot understand as to why the Government of ours which is a welfare state is not trying to manufacture the vaccine itself on a large scale," the court added 3. Such people who might like to buy the vaccines for the have nots, may be allowed to do so and may also be given certain benefits under the Income Tax Act.4. Big business houses who take various advantages under the taxation laws by donating to various religious organizations may be asked to divert their funds to vaccines..Big business houses who take various advantages under the taxation laws by donating to various religious organizations may be asked to divert their funds to vaccines.Allahabad High Court .With regard to improvement of medical infrastructure, the Court said that the viability of the following may be looked into: (i) Oxygen facility in nursing homes: All nursing homes should have an oxygen facility on every bed and every nursing home/ hospital which has more than 20 beds should have at least 40 per cent beds as Intensive Care Units. (iii) Install ventilators and High Flow Nasal Cannula in Nursing Homes: The designated 40 per cent; 25 per cent should have ventilators, 25 per cent should have High Flow Nasal Cannula and 50 per cent of the 40 per cent reserved beds should have bipap machines. This should be made compulsorily for all the nursing homes/ hospitals in the State of Uttar Pradesh. (iv) Oxygen plant to be installed: Every nursing home/ hospital which has more than 30 beds should compulsorily have an oxygen production plant. (v) Enhance medical facilities in other Medical Colleges across the State: The Court said that apart from various institutes like Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute and the Universities like the King George’s Medical University and Banaras Hindu University, there are five more medical colleges in Prayagraj, Agra, Meerut, Kanpur and Gorakhpur. "These Colleges should have enhanced facilities as are there with the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute within a period of four months. Emergency laws should be applied for the acquisition of land for them. Funds should be provided to them forthwith so that they graduate from a medical college to an Institute of the standard of the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute. For this there should also be given a certain extent of autonomy."(vi) Improve medical facilities in rural areas and villages: They should be given all kinds of pathology facilities and treatments should be made available in Community Health Centres which are at par to the treatment given by Level-2 hospitals in bigger cities. If a patient however becomes serious in the rural areas or in small towns then ambulances with all kinds of Intensive Care Unit facilities should be provided so that the patient can be brought to a hospital which has proper medical facilities in a bigger town..Besides the above, the Court directed the appointment of Nodal Officers by the District Judges of districts Bijnor, Bahraich, Barabanki, Shrawasti, Jaunpur, Mainpuri, Mau, Aligarh, Etah, Etawah, Firozabad and Deoria."These Nodal Officers shall submit their reports within a week’s time in the light of directions contained in our order dated 27.04.2021. The State respondents are also directed to give the details relating to the above districts in terms of our order dated May 11, 2021," the Court directed. The matter will be heard next on May 22. .[Read order]