HC to Delhi govt: Why Covid facility in Dwarka not been made a super specialty facility?

The Delhi high court on Wednesday rejected the Delhi government’s stand of not developing the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka as a super specialty facility and keeping it as a dedicated Covid-19 hospital as a precautionary measure for an “imminent” third wave of Covid-19

The Delhi high court on Wednesday rejected the Delhi government’s stand of not developing the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka as a super specialty facility and keeping it as a dedicated Covid-19 hospital as a precautionary measure for an “imminent” third wave of Covid-19.

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A bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh directed the Delhi government to give a fresh timeline by when the super specialty facility can start functioning. The court noted that a Covid facility does not merely mean setting up oxygen beds but also requires other super specialty facilities.

The court said, “People of Delhi need treatment and (the) infrastructure available as of now is not adequate.”

“Your (Delhi government) other hospitals, some of which are super specialty, have been turned into dedicated Covid-19 facilities. It is not that once you are a Covid patient, you don’t want any other treatment. The patient would want everything, whether a nephrologist, pulmonologist etc,” the bench observed.

“It’s not that Covid hospital does not require a super specialty. Therefore, your endeavour should be to make it now… This is not rocket science. There was a need for it and so you thought of making it,” said the bench.

The court’s observations came while hearing a plea by the Dwarka court Bar Association, represented by its president advocate Y P Singh, who contended that the Indira Gandhi hospital in Dwarka was not yet functional despite crossing the deadline of 2019.

Appearing for the Delhi government, senior advocate Rahul Mehra told the court that the hospital will have total 1,241 beds, including 169 ICU beds for Covid management. He said the hospital will be self-sufficient in terms of oxygen requirement with a manifold gas pipeline system, liquid medical oxygen storage, distribution tanks and pressure swing adsorption plants.

“Hospital furniture (beds etc.) and equipment like ventilators, bipap, multipara monitors, oxygen concentrators have already been procured as part of preparation of Covid care,” said Mehra.

The senior advocate added that since the hospital has been designated as a Covid facility, the super specialty facilities have not been started as of now. “When the hospital will be declared as a non-Covid hospital, necessary arrangements to start the super specialty facility will be considered,” said Mehra.

However, the court took exception to these submissions noting that the facility should have been created by 2019.

“We are not willing to accept this statement. We had asked you to tell what was envisaged in the project. We want to know about the cardiology department, the burns ward..,” the court said asking Mehra to withdraw the report and file a fresh one.

Singh said there is only one Covid-19 patient in the entire facility at the hospital in Dwarka and people with several post Covid complications are lacking adequate treatment. He added that the hospital caters to one-fourth population of the city. However, due to delay, patients are being directed to other hospitals.

Mehra said the government wants to check the progress of the first phase of works and introduce other super specialty facilities in the second phase. Stating that six floors of the hospital are ready, Mehra sought time till August 15 so that at least the facilities introduced in the first phase can be inaugurated.

However, the court declined this request and posted the matter for further hearing on August 2.