Tripura High Court Asks For Reports On State's Coronavirus Management

Tripura is receiving serious glares for its COVID-19 management after the state showed poor statistics in various parameters. Tripura has a fatality rate of 1 per cent, highest in the northeast with a 59 per cent recovery, second-lowest after Meghalaya.

Within a day of a central team of three health experts reaching the state to take stock of its covid measures, the Tripura High Court on Friday sought various reports from the state government regarding its coronavirus measures and infrastructure, and wants them submitted within a week, before September 18.

The order was passed by a division bench of Chief Justice of Tripura High Court AA Kureshi and Justice Subhasis Talapatra, while hearing a PIL.

In the hearing through video conferencing, the court said, "Recent newspaper reports particularly published in vernacular language have reported the plight of the patients and relatives of those who have been tested positive of the virus. Certain shortcomings in the public health care system are projected."

However, it did not like to be "guided solely by these newspaper reports and would like to gather further information from the Government"

The court said that besides the newspaper reports, it has also noticed from the state's official figures that on a day when the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and GBP hospital in the state capital had shown 240 beds available for the COVID patients, "there were 279 patients at the said centre."

"In other words, the number of patients admitted at the said centre was higher than the total number of beds available," the judgment mentioned.

The court also said that the state only had 14 ventilators, all in its capital region due to which, "shifting the patient from a remote area would be a challenge" if the patient develops respiratory trouble.

In the order, the court sought reports on the number of health workers, availability of PPE Kits, oxygen and other medical facilities, break up of fund allocation and utilisation, district wise break-up of COVID patients and COVID centres along with details on the various amenities they have.

An official of the Health and Family Welfare Department said that three experts, Daisy Panna, Consultant Epidemiologist, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), PK Verma, Assistant Professor, Respiratory Medicine, Lady Hardinge Memorial College (LHMC) and Satyajit Sen, Regional Director of Health and Family Welfare Ministry have reached Tripura and are making rounds of coronavirus-hit districts for 10 days and would submit a suggestion to the state government and a report to the Centre.

Till now, 172 people have died in Tripura of coronavirus and more than 17,000 have been infected.