[COVID-19] Motivate people to undertake plasma donation, affix QR codes on Remdesivir packets: Uttarakhand High Court issues directions

Observing that the people were fighting a major war against COVID-19, the Uttarakhand High Court has urged the State government to take concrete steps in order to protect citizens from the onslaught of the pandemic. .In this regard, the Court urged the State government to motivate people to donate plasma and ensure that there is no shortage or over-charging of the drugs used for treatment of COVID-19. .A Bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma issued a slew of directions in two separate matters on Wednesday in relation to COVID management. .The High Court was earlier scheduled to hear the petitions filed on the COVID-19 crisis on May 10. However, due to the critical condition prevailing in the State, the petitioners requested it to advance the date of hearing..The State informed the Court that the number of Dedicated Covid Hospitals had been increased from five to twelve, and the number of Dedicated Covid Health Centres from twelve to sixteen..The Court was also informed that there were three units producing oxygen tanks, and that there was no dearth of availability of oxygen tanks within the State. "In fact, this is a State, which is supplying oxygen tanks to the other neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh and Delhi," the Court was told..Although oxygen may be available, there was a lack of availability of cylinders and flow-meters, the Court was told..In this regard, counsel for the petitioner suggested that a real time portal on availability of oxygen, cylinders, and flow-meters be made available to the public at large. Agreeing with this submission, the Court said,"Needless to say, it is the constitutional mandate, and the moral duty of the State to save its people from the pandemic. The State must provide the real time critical information to its citizen. The State should co-ordinate with other States, such as Telangana and Rajasthan, where the softwares have already been created for informing the public about the critical information through Real Time Portal.".Regarding the black-marketing of Remdesivir, the Court directed the competent authority under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to instruct drug inspectors to carry out inspections within their jurisdictions, and to ensure that there is no shortage or over-charging of the drug used for COVID-19 treatment..The concerned drug inspectors should ensure that QR Codes are affixed on each packet of Remdesivir, the Court added. The order states,"In case any pharmacist is discovered to be hoarding, or selling Remdesivir over the permissible price, the concerned Drug Inspector shall take action against the concerned pharmacist, but strictly in accordance with law.".The Bench went on to issue the following directions to the State government:(i) To immediately establish Dedicated Covid Health Centres, or Dedicated Covid Care Centres in Ramnagar. Since the number of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) functioning in the State is only 239, the number of PHCs should be increased to a reasonable number.(ii) The Director General, Health to examine the number of E-cards, which have been issued to the people under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana/Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Deen Dayal Antyodya Upchaar Yojana, and to consider ways and means of increasing the disbursement of such E- cards. The Director General, Health should also ensure that private hospitals permit the people to take advantage of such E-cards, and the private hospitals should treat those persons, who carry such E-cards.(iii) State government to involve all the private hospitals/clinics/laboratories to carry out the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT)/RT-PCR/TrueNat tests.(iv) Government should seriously consider employing the registered final year dental surgeons in order to supplement the MBBS and nurses, who are employed, or who are carrying out the pre-screening tests.(v) To consider providing the staff at Sushila Tiwari Government Hospital at Haldwani, accommodation within or near about the campus so as to prevent the spread of the COVID- 19 virus amongst their family members. Medical staff should be provided with protective gear.(vi) Appoint a Nodal Officer to act as a bridge between the people and the hospitals, to resolve the problems of the people in getting admission in Covid Care Centres/Health Care Centres/Hospitals.(vii) All the District Magistrates to ensure that complaints of black-marketing of medicines/essential commodities are immediately enquired into. (viii) All the District Magistrates to inquire into the overcharging by ambulances for ferrying dead-bodies to crematoriums. (ix) The Hospitals to make sure that dead bodies are wrapped in body pack kits, and the SOP for disposal of such a dead body is adhered to by the hospital staff, and by the family members of the deceased.(x) Government to increase the number of cremation grounds by declaring certain areas to be temporary cremation grounds. Further, sufficient quantity of wood should be available in each of such cremation grounds.(xi) To look into the issue of registration for vaccination especially for those who are eighteen years and above. Also, since there is a difficulty of connectivity in the hilly regions of the State, the government is directed to create an alternative method for such registration with the help of the health authorities.(xii) To issue guidelines for the disposal of bio-medical waste, both by the hospitals, and the individuals at home. .Secretary of the State Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare Amit Negi is directed to submit a report on or before May 7, 2021 with regard to the implementation of the aforesaid directions..In another petition, the following directions were passed by the Court:State shall consider the possibility of seeking necessary software from other States, and of establishing a Real Time Portal for such critical information to be disseminated to the public at the earliest.District Magistrate, Dehradun is directed to correct a list which contained wrong information on availability of oxygen.District Magistrates to conduct fortnightly meetings with NGOs and Asha Workers working within their jurisdictions. The civil administration should cooperate with the NGOs for catering to the needs of the people.District Magistrates to employ Asha Workers, who would be in a position to cater to the needs of the people of the demarcated areas. To motivate the people to undertake plasma donation. Since there is a single plasma bank, the government should convince the Blood Banks to collect plasma in each city/town, and to disburse the same for plasma therapy to the hospitals, which are functioning within each city/town..Advocate General for the State SN Babulkar has been directed to submit an interim report stating whether the above directions have been implemented..Both matters will be next heard on May 10..Advocates Shiv Bhatt, Dushyant Mainali, DK Joshi, Snighda Tiwari and Advocate Abhijay Negi, assisted by Advocate Shreyans Ritolia appeared for the petitioners. .AG Babulkar, assisted by Chief Standing Counsel CS Rawat, were present for the State of Uttarakhand.Assistant Solicitor General Rakesh Thapliyal appeared for the Union of India..[Read Orders]