The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a number of directions on categorisation of beds in the Delhi corona mobile app, setting up of helpline numbers, delay in testing and shortage of RTPCR test kits.
Justice Prathiba M Singh, while hearing several pleas with regard to non-availability of beds and shortage of Remdesivir which is used in treatment of COVID-19, asked the Delhi government to consider amending its mobile app to display which beds have oxygen support and which do not.
The court questioned the need for providing non-oxygen support beds, saying that patients suffering from COVID-19 would normally isolate themselves at home and would seek hospitalisation primarily when oxygen support was required.
The court also asked the Delhi government and the hospitals to consider indicating on the corona mobile app the waiting list for beds in each hospital and also the medical institutions where the beds would be instantly available.
On the grievance of some petitioners that telephones of hospitals are always busy, the court asked the Delhi government whether a helpline can be set up in each hospital "which will ring on rotational basis and can be manned, even remotely, by the nodal officers allocated to a bunch of hospitals".
The court also asked the Delhi government to file a report on the remedial steps that can be taken for preventing delay in carrying out tests by labs and to address the shortage of RTPCR kits.
The direction was issued after the court was told that labs were giving results after more than 48 hours and sample collections were taking more than two days after a test was booked.
The court said it was told that delay in testing was occurring due to shortage of testing kits.
It asked the Delhi government to interact with the labs to find out why the delays were occurring and whether there was any shortage of testing kits and also what remedial measures can be taken.
The court said it will take up all the COVID-19 related matters again on April 29.
