Taking cognisance of issues raised in separate e-mails received from two medical practitioners and a group of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), the High Court of Karnataka has asked the State government to immediately respond to the instances of attack on health workers and need for protection for them, and non-supply of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits to some hospitals.
Rajiv Ramesh Gothe, in his petition sent to the High Court through e-mail, has pointed out two separate instances of attacks on ASHAs in Bengaluru and Dakshina Kannada when they were on official duty in COVID-19 related assignments.
He sought directions to the government to protect life and limbs of the registered medical practitioners working in all types of health institutions, registered nurses, medical and nursing students, paramedical members, ASHAs, and other accredited and non-accredited health workers, and to take penal action on the offenders.
Dr. Gothe also sought direction to the government for timely payment of salary and statutory benefits to the medicare service personnel and ASHAs.
ESI hospital Kalaburagi
In her letter, Zeenath, Professor and Head, Department of Pathology in the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Hospital, Kalaburagi, has pointed out that the ESI hospital staff were not even provided with masks. She has also pointed out that some of the staff members were present in the room in the ESI hospital where the COVID-19 patient had visited before he was tested positive.
Similarly, in another email, ASHAs and other health workers serving in Bidar district check-posts complained that they have not been provided with PPE kits.
A special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice B.V. Nagarathna, in its Tuesday’s order, treated Dr. Gothe’s plea as a separate PIL petition, and other two emails as part of the pending PILs related to issues that have cropped up following enforcement of lockdown.
After going through data submitted by the government on health infrastructure set up for the treatment of COVID-19, the Bench directed the government to submit by April 9 the up-to-date district-wise data of positive cases, and district-wise break up of isolation beds and intensive care units with ventilators.
The government was also directed to disclose whether all 740 ventilators (234 in government hospitals and 506 in private hospitals) reserved for COVID-19 treatment were in working condition, and whether any study was conducted on the number of ventilators needed in the State in addition to the existing ones, and requirement of isolation beds in the State.
