RANCHI: Reprimanding the state government and its apex medical institution RIMS for not being able to procure medical equipment, Jharkhand High Court on Friday observed that whether they would wake up from slumber only after people reach cremation ground.
The high court made the oral observation while hearing a suo moto public interest litigation on lack of proper equipment, including genome sequencing machine, at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
Expressing dismay over the approach of RIMS in procuring medical equipment, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad sought to know whether a genome sequencing machine will be bought only after the omicron variant of coronavirus spreads throughout the state.
Why is it that the court has to prod the government to realise its responsibilities, it asked.
The court directed the government and the hospital to file affidavits regarding the status of the purchase of the genome sequencing machine.
The court also expressed its annoyance over the fact that a medicine store is still not operational at RIMS and patients are constrained to buy medicines from outside.
The PIL was initiated by the high court in 2020 when the country was hit by the first wave of the pandemic.