Uttar Pradesh: Medical system in smaller cities & villages 'Ram Bharose', observes HC

In a telling comment on Uttar Pradesh's COVID-19 management, the Allahabad High Court on Monday noted that the medical system in smaller cities and villages was 'Ram Bharose'. A division bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Siddhartha Verma was hearing a suo moto petition on the inhuman condition at quarantine centres and for providing better treatment to COVID-19. Expressing dissatisfaction over the reports submitted by the District Magistrates, it directed the UP government to improve and increase the testing in small cities, towns and rural areas besides providing sufficient health infrastructure.

The matter was adjourned to 2 pm on May 22. At present, there are 1,63,003 active novel coronavirus cases in the state while 14,39,096 patients have recovered and 17,546 fatalities have been recorded. While a total of 1,19,43,597 persons have been inoculated in UP till now, 32,78,902 of them have received the second dose of the vaccine too.

The court noted, "So far as the medical infrastructure is concerned, in these few months we have realized that in the manner it stands today, it is very delicate, fragile and debilitated. 17. When it cannot meet the medical requirements of our people in normal times then it definitely had to collapse in the face of the present pandemic. For the development of the medical infrastructure, the viability of having the following may be looked into by the State Government at the highest level and a report be definitely submitted on the next date by the Health Secretary of both the Centre and the State." 

Here are the HC's other directives:

• People who are trying to buy vaccines for the 'have-nots' can be accorded certain benefits under the Income Tax Act
• The state government should negotiate with the world manufacturers and try to buy as many vaccines as possible via global tenders
• 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
• India's central agencies may give the green signal to various manufacturers who have the infrastructure to manufacture the COVID-19 vaccines on a large scale
• Big medical companies which are working in the country may take the formula from just any of the vaccine manufacturers in the world and start producing the vaccine
• All nursing homes should have an oxygen facility on every bed
• Every nursing home/ hospital which has more than 20 beds should have at least 40 per cent ICU beds
• Every nursing home/ hospital which has more than 30 beds should compulsorily have an oxygen production plant