The High Court on Tuesday sought response by the government to a plea seeking directions for supplying test kits for detection of Covid19 and ventilators in district hospitals of J&K.
A division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and JusticeSindhu Sharma heard the plea through video conference and issued notice toUnion of India through Principal Secretary, department of health and familywelfare, Government of J&K through Secretary health and Director healthservices.
While the court issued the notice to J&K governmentthrough additional advocate general Amit Gupta, it sought action taken reportby April 3.
One Muhammad Shafi has approached the court through advocateAteeb Kanth seeking direction to the government to ensure supply of test kitsfor detection of Covid-19 in hospitals.
The plea also seeks directions for supplying Sterile N-95masks to hospital in J&K, Sterile Medical Gloves and Starch Apparels usedby paramedical staff and doctors.
Besides safe accommodation to the medical staff, thepetition seeks to increase the number of ventilators in hospitals especially indistrict hospitals where there are no ventilators.
While the petition seeks to ensure healthcare facilities ofthose patients who visit or are admitted for any other general diseases orailments in the hospitals, it urges for providing ways and means so that thesepatients may not catch the deadly virus.
That petitioner submits that he is deeply concerned with thefacilities available at Sher i Kashmir institute of medical sciences.
“The SKIMS has only 40 ventilators, besides SMHS hospitaland chest diseases hospital have 18 and 16 ventilators, respectively,” hepleads.
The petition underlines that there are only a fewventilators available in north Kashmir hospitals and the fact is that ventilatorsare not available in Kupwara, Bandipora and other districts of J&K.
“Besides this, the supply of test kits for detection ofCovid19, supply of sterile N-95 masks, sterile medical gloves, starch apparelsused by para medical staff and doctors is not adequate,” he pleads.
The petition underscores that in the market there is noavailability of such masks.