Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has issued a notice to the State government taking cognisance of a letter petition by two law graduates alleging lack of medical preparedness in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
Petitioners – Jay Mathew and Gauravvardhan AS Nadkarni – urged the Bombay High Court Chief Justice B P Dharmadhikari and Goa Bench of the High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the inadequate medical preparedness.
“We fear the unpreparedness by the State government in dealing with this pandemic and therefore are appealing to your Lordship to take appropriate action. As on Friday, March 27, Goa recorded three positive cases of coronavirus, with each of the infected person having returned from abroad. Despite the severity of this global pandemic which has resulted in lockdowns of unprecedented magnitude, the state of Goa is not adequately prepared,” states the letter, which has been converted into a Public Interest Litigation (Writ Petition).
The petitioners also cited ‘heartbreaking lessons’ of Italy, Spain and the United States on how important it is to be prepared and not underestimate the severity of this outbreak.
The Bench has kept the PIL for hearing on Monday, March 30.
The petitioners have sought that the government make public details of a well-drafted and authorised Standard Treatment Guideline or Standard Protocol for Treatment with special notice to the safety of doctors.
; complete report on the physical preparedness, namely, the number of places of isolation, the number of beds at such places, the number of ventilators at such places, the availability of protective gear for the doctors, and other medical staff etc; communication and readiness to include private hospitals and clinics for treatment and testing.
