A family member of an employee of the High Court of Karnataka died last night after being unable to get timely admission despite a three-hour long desperate effort made by the court’s Registrar (Administration) to get information on hospital having bed with ventilator facility.
Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, who was sitting in a Division Bench comprising Justice Alok Aradhe, disclosed this information to the Additional Advocate General on Monday afternoon during the hearing of PIL petitions related to complaints that coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) positive and other patients were finding it difficult to get admission in hospitals for treatment in the city.
Two deaths
Incidentally, it was during the hearing of these petitions that the High Court on July 7 had termed as “sorry state of affair” the instances of death of two COVID-19 positive patients in Bengaluru after several hospitals, including two government hospitals, declined admission to them citing procedures. The Registrar (Administration) had made desperate efforts to get information on hospitals having bed with ventilator facility for three hours last night but ultimately the family member of the staff died, the Chief Justice said.
Meanwhile, it was pointed out to the Bench by an advocate that a pregnant woman had to wait for eight hours to get admission to a hospital in the city, while stating that the claim of the government is contrary to the ground situation. Terming such instances as “very serious”, the Bench posed a series of questions to the government, including the delay in outcome of COVID-19 lab test results, while making it clear that it would not hesitate to issue directions to ensure that a system is in place.
One phone number
Later, the Bench directed the government to ensure that one phone number with multiple lines is set up to assist the public to give accurate information on hospitals and availability of beds, and wide publicity on the telephone number through newspapers and other media, and at testing labs, fever clinics etc.
‘Develop app’
The court also asked the government whether it could develop a software application to give real-time information to the public on bed availability and other related issues.
Meanwhile, the Bench said that there should be a clear protocol right from the conduct of COVID-19 test till hospitalisation of patients who test positive, and from availability of information on test results to hospitalisation.
