NEW DELHI: The "deadly and highly infectious" nature of the second wave of COVID-19 and "unpreparedness" of the national capital's health infrastructure forced citizens to visit hospitals in neighbouring states, the Delhi High Court said and rejected the Delhi government's argument that such patients should seek medical relief from the state where they are getting treatment.
"This submission of respondent 1 (Delhi government) has been noted only to be rejected. 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 neighbouring states," Justice Rekha Palli said.
The observation by the high court came during the hearing of a Delhi citizen's plea seeking Liposomal Amphotericin B Injection /Amphonex-50, used in the treatment of black fungus, for his father who is admitted in a hospital in Gurugram.
The Delhi government, during the hearing, told the court that since the petitioner's father was not being treated in a hospital in the national capital, he should seek the medicine from the authorities concerned in Haryana.
Rejecting the contention of the Delhi government, the court said that in the instant case the petitioner's father was being treated for COVID-19 for over a month and since the medicine he was seeking would determine recovery of the patient, "there is definite urgency in the matter".
"I am, therefore, of the view that it would be in the interest of justice to direct the respondent 1 to take a compassionate view towards the petitioner's request and, if at all possible, to provide his father with the necessary medicine for his treatment, at least for the next few days," Justice Palli said.
The court also issued notice to the governments of Delhi and Haryana and the Centre, asking for their stand on the plea by May 25, the next date of hearing.