Telangana High Court asks for government report on steps taken to curtail Covid-19

Telangana: Chief Justice Chauhan while hearing the public interest litigation said that the private hospitals are not permitted to carry out Covid-19 tests and treat them.

If the patients are turned away by the private hospitals denying them tests and treatment, such patients will go back carrying coronavirus, which will be dangerous. The division bench headed by the Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan & Justice T. Amarnath Goud, directed the Telangana government to file a comprehensive report on various issues pertaining to "Covid-19" by April 24.

The bench while dealing with the public interest litigation filed by advocate Thirumal Rao who sought a direction to the state Government to ensure that all Covid-19 tests are done free of cost as some private hospitals are charging Rs 4,500 per test. The petitioner counsel while addressing the bench through video conference informed it that the apex court has directed private hospitals to charge such patients who can afford for Covid-19 tests. Further, the counsel informed that as far as the government hospitals are concerned, they are not charging.

The High Court Bench while referring to a news item of an English daily said that the Telangana government has identified a lot of hot spots within the Hyderabad City and our concern is the fact that the whole of Hyderabad, especially the area around Charminar has the highest number of corona- affected persons and the cause of concern is how will the government take steps to identify such persons and extend treatment to them.

The government says that 37 lakh people need to be tested for coronavirus. How is the government going to carry out tests on such huge numbers when the testing kits with the government is only 67,000, whereas the government, on its report says that it has placed orders with various manufacturers for 6 lakhs testing kits. In the absence of sufficient testing Kits, how this task of testing persons will be taken up, should be informed to the court by the next date of hearing, CJ ordered.

The High Court bench directs the State Government to file a comprehensive report on steps taken to curtail Covid-19 cases The case has been posted to April 24 for next hearing