Political parties bicker over new norms for assessment of mild patients

The new norms for assessment of asymptomatic Covid patients has led to political bickering in Delhi with opposition parties blaming the ruling Aam Aadmi Party for mismanagement.

The new norms for assessment of asymptomatic Covid patients has led to political bickering in Delhi with opposition parties blaming the ruling Aam Aadmi Party for mismanagement.

On Tuesday, Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia wrote to lieutenant governor Anil Baijal seeking the rollback of the new norms, saying it will only create problems for patients. (File photo)

On Tuesday, Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia wrote to lieutenant governor Anil Baijal seeking the rollback of the new norms, saying it will only create problems for patients and pressurise the government machinery as people will have to wait longer at the Covid Care Centres (CCCs).

In an order issued by the health department after the DDMA meeting on Monday, all asymptomatic patients have to be taken to CCCs for clinical assessment.

While addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Sisodia said, “There is a lot of panic among people because of the new guidelines. Earlier, they tried to stop home isolation and a consensus on continuing it was reached after a lot of dialogue. Now, this new guideline. People are upset. Why should a Covid-19 patient be punished and made to stand in a queue at a quarantine centre? I have written to the L-G to continue with the earlier system of the medical team visiting the home of the patients instead.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the chief opposition party in Delhi, said the L-G has taken the right decision. BJP MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, leader of the opposition in the Delhi Assembly, said, “The L-G took this decision after consulting medical experts. There is no harm if Covid positive patients are being examined at quarantine facilities by medical experts. After a proper examination, it will be easy to decide whether the patient should be kept in home isolation or not.”

The BJP hit out at the Delhi government for mismanagement in the initial days when the number of cases was less. “They didn’t properly plan for the pandemic and this is why the situation has gone from bad to worse in Delhi. Now, when efforts are being made to put the system back on track, they are doing politics,” Bidhuri said.

With nearly 3,000 Covid cases being reported daily for the past few days, the Congress blamed both the state and the central government for the mess in Delhi while not clarifying its stand on the issue at hand.

Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhury said, “Both of the state and the central governments should stop fighting and focus on improving the infrastructure. The AAP government failed to put in place a proper system for the effective management of patients in home isolations. We had told home minister Amit Shah and the L-G that there was no proper monitoring of those in home isolation.”

He added, “There is a need for more quarantine facilities as a majority of the population lives in slums, unauthorised colonies and one or two-bedroom houses. Is home isolation possible there?”

AAP did not comment on the matter.