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Medical infrastructure exposed, in shambles: Delhi HC

It is the obligation of the state to provide sufficient infrastructure to save the lives of people, the bench said
Last Updated 06 May 2021, 18:01 IST

The Delhi High Court on Thursday said the existing medical infrastructure in the national capital was badly exposed, and found in shambles, during the pandemic.

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli directed the Delhi government to provide the facility for medical treatment required by all residents of Delhi who were suffering from Covid-19. The court made the observations while dealing with a plea for an ICU bed with a ventilator facility for a 52-year-old.

During the hearing, the bench remarked that the moral fabric of people has been “dismembered” to a great extent as instead of coming together to fight the pandemic, they were engaged in hoarding and black marketing of oxygen cylinders, medicines and concentrators.

As the coronavirus has mutated and is proving to be lethal, the bench said that in most cases the patient required supervision in ICU and required a ventilator.

It is the obligation of the state to provide sufficient infrastructure to save the lives of people, the bench said.

The court noted the Article 21 of the Constitution guaranteed the Right to Life and Liberty to all, therefore, the petitioner could not be turned away on account of lack of medical infrastructure.

“We are sworn to protect the fundamental rights of the people. Therefore, we are bound to issue a writ to provide the infrastructure to enable the petitioner to undergo the treatment required to save his life,” it said.

The court, however, clarified the order would not give any preferential right to the petitioner over others.

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(Published 06 May 2021, 18:01 IST)

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