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HC raps Centre and Delhi govt for failing to clarify benefits for nurses
The Delhi High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Centre and the city government for their failure to answer the court’s queries on the various schemes in
The Delhi High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Centre and the city government for their failure to answer the court’s queries on the various schemes in place for the benefit of the nurses while also seeking the Delhi government’s reply on suggestions for setting up a helpline for nurses through which they would be able to complain against private hospitals for failing to provide N-95 masks and personal protection equipment (PPE) kits.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan also sought to know the Delhi government’s stand on the suggestion by Manoj V George, counsel for the petitioner, that private hospitals and nursing homes must file an undertaking before the authorities concerned for providing PPE kits, N95 masks to the nurses.
The court was hearing a plea by an NGO which has alleged that nurses in private hospitals and nursing homes were not being provided with proper PPE kits and masks to guard against Covid-19.
During the hearing on Monday, the court directed the Delhi government, represented by advocate Anupam Srivastava, to file a reply to each of the six points suggested by the counsel for the NGO.
Besides a helpline, ex-gratia and the undertaking, the court also asked them to respond to the suggestions of extending the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) of insurance protection to nurses working in private hospitals and nursing homes and that the insurance premium be paid by the authorities at least for a limited period during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The court, during the proceedings, sought answers to specific queries concerning the premiums to be filled to avail the benefits of the PradhanMantri Garib Kalyan Yojana from the counsels. However, when they failed to answer, the court called an officer from the Delhi government to reply to its questions.
“You people don’t know anything as to how many nursing homes are there, whether the premiums (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana scheme) are to be filled monthly or yearly and how many nurses are there… This is a very casual approach. This is how you guys are arguing in the court of law,” the court said.
The Centre, represented by its standing counsel Anil Soni, told the court that he would seek instruction on the suggestion of extending the benefit of PMGKP of insurance protection to nurses.
Later, after brief arguments, the Delhi government’s counsel sought time to file a reply to the suggestions, following which the matter was listed for a hearing on July 17.