Deepali Kalia
A Plea has been moved in Gujarat High Court seeking directions for the state and hospital authorities to mandatorily install the CCTV cameras in ICUs and ICCUS of the hospitals to ensure that obvious transparency is maintained between the hospital authorities and the patients.
The plea moved, further seeks directions for disclosing the correct facts about the patients dying of COVID.
The Intervention Application initially filed by Shalin Bipinbhai Doshi and later moved by Advocate Dr. Avinash Poddar suggested measures to ensure the safety of COVID 19 patients and also stated incidents reported in media about the “carelessness and negligence of hospitals which at times lead to the death of the patient in the State.”
The plea suggested “Most of the casualties occur in the Intensive Care Unit (Hereinafter referred to as “ICU”) and in the Intensive Critical Care Unit (Hereinafter referred to as “ICCU”). The Applicant states that these issues can be mitigated, to some extent, if CCTV cameras are installed especially in ICU & ICCU and also in all other wards and further subsequently a copy of the recordings is provided to the relatives if they require.”
The plea also stated a personal experience where the body of a COVID patient kept in the COVID ward was handed over to the relatives by a civil hospital in Surat claiming him to be COVID negative.
“Since this kind of action has an impact on the lives of the relatives of the patients, the Hospital authorities should be transparent enough in disclosing correct figures and not indulge in these kinds of actions.” The plea stated.
“By getting information about the treatment being provided to the patient, the relatives of the patient can come to know whether proper medical protocols are being followed or not by the hospital management and doctors treating the patient. This will also enable them to seek second opinion which is also a right of the patient.” The plea further stated.
The plea also stated that hospital authorities be directed to mandatorily provide the medical records and reports to the patients of the relatives on discharge or otherwise.
It added that directions be given to the state to formally request the Ahmedabad division of Western railway to use 60 refurbished coaches as isolation wards and beds for treatment of COVID patients.