The Delhi High Court has adjourned hearing of a PIL seeking direction to ensure that quarantine facility provides clean and hygienic environment by sanitizing and disinfecting the premises.
A divisional bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh has posted the matter for hearing on May 17.
The petition has been filed by Madhurima Kundu, an Economics PhD student, through Advocate Kawalpreet Kaur alleging that patients at the quarantine facility were suffering severely not only on account of their illness but also due to the negligence of the Government authorities in providing them with basic facilities like sanitation, food, medicines, clean mattresses and blankets, regular doctor visits, proper monitoring of oxygen, etc.
Kaur stated, “No facility was given to the patient at Sultanpuri isolation centre and there was no doctor and nurses present to take care of the patients and the hygiene and the facility that needs to be given to the patients wasn’t there and the hygiene particularly was pathetic.”
The petition states, “The quarantine ward rather assisting and helping the patients who are suffering from Covid-19 is putting them at risk. These quarantine wards are not inhabitable for Covid-19 positive patients who require utmost care and hygiene to fight the disease.”
The plea has sought following directions:
1. ex-parte order appointing a Court Commissioner to visit the quarantine facility at Sultanpuri Isolation Centre and apprise the court of the present situation;
2. direction to the respondent to follow the recommendation issued by WHO and the guidelines issued by NCDC for implementing quarantine in Delhi;
3. direction to the respondent to provide doctor visits thrice a day to the patients in their rooms;
4. direction to the respondent to ensure that the quarantine facility provides clean and a hygienic environment by sanitizing and disinfecting the premises on a daily basis;
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5. direction to the respondent to appoint a sanitation worker in each ward to sanitize and disinfect the toilets and rooms surfaces touched frequently at least once a day;
6. direction to the respondent to provide sanitation workers with PPE kits, masks and gloves to work at the quarantine centres;
7. direction to the respondent to improve the quality of food served to the patients at the quarantine facility, Sultanpuri; etc.