NEW DELHI: After getting no response from Lt Gov Anil Baijal over its request to rollback an order requiring every Covid-19 patient to visit a quarantine centre for clinical assessment, the Delhi government knocked on the doors of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said as the home minister was taking active interest in helping Delhi tackle the coronavirus crisis, he should now intervene and withdraw the orders. Expressing his displeasure towards the “Amit Shah model” of treatment of patients, Sisodia said “this is not a fight between Amit Shah’s model and Kejriwal’s model.
We should implement a system in which people don’t face problems.” “The new order is burdening the healthcare system and the administration, creating chaos and confusion for the people of Delhi. Now, every patient, irrespective of the fact that he has a very mild fever or is showing severe symptoms, he has to visit the quarantine centre to get a check-up. This has also burdened the entire ambulance system,” said Sisodia, who is doubling up as the health minister in the absence of Satyendar Jain.
He said there were more than 3,000 fresh cases every day and it was not feasible for every Covid-19 patient to undergo clinical assessment at Covid quarantine centres. Sisodia appealed to the L-G to call a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority and revert to the old system. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to the Centre to withdraw the order. “The Central government has issued an order mandating Covid-19 patients to visit Covid care centres for a health assessment.
Why does the government want to make a patient with high fever stand in the line? I urge the government to roll back the order,” Kejriwal said after visiting a Covid care centre. Earlier, the Delhi government locked horns with Baijal over making institutional quarantine mandatory for Covid patients. The L-G withdrew the order after the Delhi government objected to it. Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP questioned the lack of medical infrastructure despite the AAP government boasting of high spending on the health sector in its budget. “When such a huge amount was spent on resources, then why is the health system of Delhi is in distress?” asked Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.