NHRC team visits LNJP Hospital for on-spot assessment of COVID facilities
Jun 11, 2020
New Delhi [India], June 11 : A team of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) visited Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital here on Thursday for an on-spot assessment of facilities for COVID care in view of allegations that despite beds, the patients were being denied admission and treatment.
The team, led by its member Jyotika Kalra interacted with the hospital administration, doctors, staff and some patients there. The team visited the emergency and the ward with beds allotted for the COVID patients.
"We have come here to take stock of the situation after NHRC took suo moto cognizance on the complaints of the patients regarding discrepancies in availability of beds on Delhi corona app and in hospitals," Kalra told reporters here.
Kalra said that the idea of the NHRC's visit is to help hospital administration to plug loopholes in their functioning and not just find faults.
However, she said that the commission would continue to keep a check on the facilities of the LNJP hospital and may also visit some hospitals in the national capital under the Union Health Ministry.
The team will prepare a detailed report and submit it to the commission.
According to an official release by NHRC, the team was informed that no serious patient was denied admission and as such only those patients are being admitted whose condition is serious; others having minor symptoms are being advised for home quarantine.
The hospital administration claimed that they are being referred patients by various doctors without any proper protocol, NHRC said.
"On the delay in shifting of dead bodies, the hospital administration informed that only due to problems in lifts on some occasions, there might have been some delay but mostly the bodies are shifted immediately. The patients are being allowed to carry mobile phones and there is no such restriction. Home food is also being allowed. Additionally, the hospital canteen has been providing breakfast, lunch and dinner as per schedule," the release said.
"The team found several beds were lying vacant. However, the hospital administration said this is as part of the requirement in coming days, even additional equipment like dialysis machines and ventilators have also been kept ready for any exigencies. About 23 per cent of doctors and para-medical staff have been kept ready aside for deployment on a need basis," it said.
The NHRC member observed that at hospital entry gate proper and visible notice boards giving directions to the patients and their attendants were required.
"These should properly display the telephone number of an official who can directly guide them instead of a number which only gives another number to contact," NHRC said.
