Himachal Pradesh High Court on Thursday directed the state government to set up Post-Covid Out Patient Department (OPDs) in the hospital for providing necessary health care to Covid-negative patients and also ensure regular follow-up after having been discharged from the medical institutions.
The court also passed orders about allowing home food to the patients in the Covid care wards, and also explore possibilities of individual attendants for critical patients.
The order was passed by a division bench of Chief Justice L.Narayana Swamy and Justice Anoop Chitkara on a PIL, which the court had taken up in its suo moto action based on media reports about lack of proper facilities in the hospitals, and a higher number of fatalities in Shimla apart from other districts.
The bench said that most patients, who have been cured, tested negative for Covid, fail to take proper care and sometimes may need a check-up, therefore there is a need for post-Covid OPD centres for such patients.
“After hearing the counsel for the parties and having thoughtful consideration on the issue, we observed and directed the government to find the viability to provide diet food to the patients, like diabetic, old aged and children,” the court said.
The court further observed that in order to provide immediate and sufficient required attention to vulnerable Covid patients, the government taking into account the condition of the individual patient has to take a decision as to whether the patient required a personal attendant or not.
In that event by collecting the relevant particulars, a certificate or a pass has to be issued to the attendant, to the attendant of that particular patient, enabling him or her to have access to the patients for providing required assistance.
Referring to the diet being provided to the patients, the bench said that it was brought to the notice of the court that uniform food is provided or distributed to all the patients in general in the Covid care centres. This may not be suitable to all the patients.
In respect of such patients it would be appropriate for the government to take decisions to allow such patients to have home food and special food.
During an earlier hearing, the court had directed the state government to ensure visit of the senior/specialists in the Covid care wards and also provide the sufficient staff.
Meanwhile, data released by a spokesman for the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) hospital Shimla revealed that the fatality rate at Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda (Kangra) is highest in the state as compared to other two hospitals viz IGMC and Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Medical College, Ner Chowk, Mandi.
Of the 1,325 Covid patients admitted at the IGMC, 237 died and rest were cured. The fatality was 17.89 per cent as compared to Tanda where of 407 patients, 150 could not survive, reporting 36.86 per cent fatality rate. The fatality rate at Ner Chowk was 19.32 per cent, higher than IGMC, Shimla where 215 patients died out of 1,113.
When contacted, Dr Janak Raj, senior medical superintendent IGMC Hospital, who is also nodal officer for Covid care. “We are running a 198-bed capacity especially for the Covid patients in addition to non-Covid services for the critical heart patients, cancer and neurological care. This is despite the fact that 350 medical personnel, including doctors, paramedics and also safai karamcharis tested positive. Moreover, the IGMC has outreach for the patients from Chamba, Kullu, Mandi apart from Kinnaur and Sirmaur."
