New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the Delhi government to set a committee of its officers to look into the problems faced by critical patients, who are unable to receive treatment at Fortis Institute of Renal Science and Transplantation at Vasant Kunj since the institute has been converted into a COVID-19 facility.

Justice Navin Chawla, who conducted the hearing through video conferencing, said the Delhi government's panel will inspect the private hospital and also consult with its officials and submit its report before the court within 10 days.

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The high court listed for July 21, hearing on a plea seeking quashing of a June 9 notice of the Delhi government's health department to the extent that it declared and allocated 100 per cent of the facilities and the beds at the hospital for COVID-19 treatment.

The petition filed by Rameshwar Dutt Kaushik and three other patients submitted that they are suffering from chronic renal failure and are in need for regular dialysis support at least thrice in a week, for four hours each, and also various tests on a regular basis which are critical to their lives.

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Advocates Arjun Kakkar and Karan Kakkar, representing the patients, claimed that critically ill patients who were availing treatment at Fortis Hospital and who require life-saving support and health services on a regular/day-to-day basis, such as cancer patients for radiotherapy, dialysis, renal failure and Thalassemia have been deeply aggrieved by the government order as this hospital was a specialist treatment facility.

Advocate Anupam Srivastava, representing the Delhi Government, submitted that earlier the government has directed for reserving 20 per cent beds for COVID-19 patients in private hospitals.

However, it was challenged in the high court which had asked the government to consider the issue.

After considering it, this policy was decided that a hospital should be either 100 per cent dedicated to COVID-19 patients or be made fully non-COVID-19 facility, he said, adding that it is a policy matter and cannot be challenged in the court.

Advocate Arjun Dewan, representing the hospital, stated that a separate facility was being provided to critically ill patients for dialysis in the green zone area.

The petition, also filed through advocates Gautam Swarup and Kunal Sharma, claimed that due to the government' order, the petitioners, including other similarly situated patients have been left with absolutely no avail, with various other hospitals and treatment facilities similarly refusing treatment.

It said these patients are at an extremely high risk to their lives and personal livelihood, as any failure to get such treatment could threaten their health conditions and life seriously.

“While there is a need to increase the treatment capacity for COVID-19 in view of the rising number of infections, the Respondents ( authorities) failed to appreciate that directing registered private hospitals/nursing homes to reserve 100 per cent of their bed capacity for COVID-19 patients is arbitrary and will not achieve the desired objective," the plea said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)