New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court on Thursday admonished the Delhi government for not clarifying if every pregnant woman who goes to a hospital for delivery or urgent treatment is required to undergo a Covid-19 test, symptomatic or not, while remarking that a genuine problem has been turned into a “bureaucratic nightmare”.
A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan said if a test is required, then sample collection and declaration of results should be done in a minimum period of time.
It said despite giving four-five opportunities to the Delhi government, it still has not clarified the grievances in a plea that had sought testing and results of pregnant women.
“A genuine human problem has been made into a bureaucratic nightmare. It is totally inexplicable. How long do we wait? Four to five opportunities have been given to address the issue since the filing of the petition,” the court said.
The court said officials appeared to be “confused” and were “unable to understand that pregnant women do not go to a hospital 48 hours before the delivery”.
“When a pregnant woman goes for delivery or surgery, they cannot wait for 48 hours for a result. Sometimes they go at the last moment. Your (Delhi government) secretaries should understand that pregnant women do not go 48 hours before delivery. …..As per your status report, they will be kept in isolation till the declaration of results without a family member close by. What kind of society are we living in?” the court said.
{{/usCountry}}“When a pregnant woman goes for delivery or surgery, they cannot wait for 48 hours for a result. Sometimes they go at the last moment. Your (Delhi government) secretaries should understand that pregnant women do not go 48 hours before delivery. …..As per your status report, they will be kept in isolation till the declaration of results without a family member close by. What kind of society are we living in?” the court said.
{{/usCountry}}The observations came after the Delhi government told the court that it had passed an order on July 5 on testing of high-risk patients and shared a status report. However, the court said the July 5 order does not include pregnant women, even though it has been mentioned in the status report.
“Your July 5 order and status report are entirely contradictory,” it said while stating that there is a contradiction with regard to whether asymptomatic pregnant women need to undergo rapid antigen test.
The court directed the Delhi government to correct the contradictions and clarify if asymptomatic pregnant women have to undergo Covid-19 testing before being admitted.
“If yes, then the Delhi government should ensure the time taken for sample collection and declaration of results should be minimum,” the bench said while observing that pregnant women are being made to wait for 24-48 hrs for the reports.
The Delhi government did not respond to requests for a comment.
With these observations and directions, the court listed the matter for hearing on July 15.