Delhi HC issues notice in plea to ensure that hospitals do not deny admission to symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 patients

The Delhi High Court today issued notice in a petition seeking a direction to the Delhi Government to ensure that hospitals, government or private, do not deny admission to symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. (Krishna Kumar Sharma vs NCT of Delhi).The petition also seeks a direction to ensure that COVID-19 test is not done mandatorily before admitting elective and emergency cases..Notice was issued to the Delhi Government by a Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Prateek Jalan..The Petitioner before the court was Advocate Krishna Kumar Sharma..The Petitioner has informed the Court that although directions were in place to ensure availability of regular medical services at non-COVID hospitals and treatment for COVID-19 patients at other designated hospitals, the same were not being followed. .The Petitioner has claimed that multiple private hospitals had made COVID-19 testing mandatory before admission of elective and emergency patients who visited hospitals for dialysis, blood transfusion, chemotherapy etc..Such an approach is contrary to the Government order asking hospitals to not test asymptomatic patients..The Petitioner has also raised concerns of hospitals charging high amount for PPE being used by patients, while frontline workers were given used PPEs..In the petition filed through Advocate KM Monika, the Petitioner has thus called for immediate action against those government and private hospitals or nursing homes which are refusing emergent medical care during the pandemic..The matter would be heard next on June 25. .Read the petition: