NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday directed hospitals in the national capital’to “scrupulously follow” the AAP government’s circular on not to insist on Covid positive test reports before admitting patients showing symptoms of coronavirus.A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh also directed the Delhi government to “widely publicise” its April 23 circular on the matter.
The order came while disposing of a PIL seeking directions to the Delhi government to order hospitals not to insist on Covid positive reports to hospitalise patients who show symptoms’of coronavirus.The petitioner, Jaideep Ahuja, told the bench that the Uttar Pradesh government has passed such a direction on not insisting on RTPCR’positive test reports for admitting patients.
The Delhi government told the court that its Health department has issued a circular on April 23 directing hospitals’in the city not to insist on Covid positive test reports to admit patients who are showing symptoms of coronavirus infection.The Delhi government told the bench that such patients would be kept in a dedicated area, in hospitals, meant for suspected cases.
The HC dismissed a plea challenging the exemption given to constitutional and government functionaries and their staff from either showing negative RTPCR report after travelling by air or undergoing a 14 day quarantine during the pandemic.The court said often the officials would have to go from one place to another overnight and in such a situation a test report cannot be insisted upon.
With PTI inputs