Deprecating the conduct of the authorities in delaying operationalising the Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant set up at Victoria Hospital campus, the High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday summoned the Secretary of Medical Education Department to explain the delay.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awathi and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum issued the direction while hearing a contempt of court petition, which complained about failure of the government to fully operationalise the hospital as per undertaking given to the court in February.
Nagesh N.S., director of the Institute, who was asked to be present personally, told the Bench that it required two months to operationalise the hospital as the process of five-level sanitisation will have to be undertaken as per the medical protocol before operationalising any new health facilities.
However, the Bench asked why action was not taken to sanitise the new health facility when it was opened for outpatients in July this year.
M.N. Umesh, who had filed a PIL petition seeking direction to provide a full-scale gastroenterology and organ transplantation facility, complained that the authorities are delaying the operationalising the new facility.
At one stage of hearing, the Bench orally observed that the authorities appeared to be hand-in-glove with private hospitals and are delaying the process of operationalising the new facility, which will benefit poor people. However, the government counsel clarified to the Bench that the new facility was converted to a COVID-19 treatment centre.
