Supreme Court asks Centre to ensure full protection to doctors acting as coronavirus warriors

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to ensure full protection to doctors and health workers, who were acting as "warriors" and "first line of defence in the country" in the fight against Coronavirus.

Observing that the pandemic, engulfing the entire country, is a national calamity, the top court said all citizens of the country have to act in a responsible manner to extend helping hand to the government and medical staff to perform their duties to contain and combat the Covid-19.

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A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to provide all protective gears personal protection equipment (PPE) to the doctors and other health workers, attending the patients of Coronavirus.

Acting on a batch of PILs by a Nagpur doctor and others, the court also said the government should explore all alternatives including enabling and augmenting domestic production of protective clothing and gear to medical professionals.

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"The doctors and the medical staff who are the first line of defence of the country to combat with this pandemic have to be protected by providing Personal Protective Equipments as recommended by WHO on February 27, 2020," the bench said.

The top court also directed to provide the necessary police security to the doctors and medical staff in hospitals and places where patients who have been diagnosed Covid-19 or patients suspected of it or those quarantined were housed.

Taking note of April 2 incident in Indore where doctors were attacked by a mob, the bench ordered, "Necessary police security should be also extended to doctors and other medical staff who visit places to conduct screening of people to find out symptoms of the disease."

The court also ordered that necessary action must be taken against those persons who obstructed and committed any offence in respect to the performance of duties by health workers.

The court had on April 1 sought a response from the Centre on a plea by Jerryl Banait for making available WHO approved protection kits for doctors, as they are working under tedious conditions to tackle Covid-19 pandemic.

The petitioner sought a direction to ensure availability of World Health Organisation- recommended graded protective gear, including Hazmat (Hazardous material) suits, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) sterile medical or nitrile gloves, starch apparels, medical masks, goggles, face shield, respirators (i e, N – 95 Respirator Mask or Triple Layer Medical Mask or equivalent), shoe covers, head covers and coveralls or gowns to all health workers.