PANJIM: Stepping up the ante against the government, three public interest litigations (PIL) will be heard together by the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Thursday at 10am on the State’s handling of the COVID pandemic management in view of the high mortality rate and other gaps in the healthcare infrastructure.
While the first writ petition has been filed by advocate Nikhil D Pai on behalf of the South Goa Advocate Association president Antonio Clovis Da Costa, the other two petitions have been filed by different groups consisting of citizens.
The second petition has been filed by Adv Varun Bhandanker and Adv Rui Gomes Pereira on behalf of Armando Gonsalves and Shruti Chaturvedi and will be argued by Adv Akash Rebello. The third petition has been filed by Adv Nigel Da Costa Frias on behalf of Roshan Mathias and Arturo D’Souza.
Gonsalves and Chaturvedi’s petition has prayed that directions be issued to the government to take immediate steps to ensure that all Covid patients have beds for essential treatment, ambulance services, ventilators, and all other essential healthcare items. Similarly, they have demanded that the provision of adequate oxygen, medicines, and plasma in the State is ensured along with the equitable distribution of the same are ensured.
While they have called for an increase in testing, in line with the suggestions they have put forward, they have also demanded that restrictions be immediately imposed on the functioning of all offices and commercial activity, apart from essential services.
They further demanded that the needs of the economically weaker sections of society, the disabled, and the aged are met both in terms of medical treatment as well as supply of essential services. They have called for police protection to doctors and all medical facilities.
They have also asked that it be ensured that senior citizens and the disabled who are unable to go to vaccination centers receive vaccinations at their homes/care centers and that a comprehensive plan on vaccination of citizens be prepared.
The petition filed by Mathias and D’Souza has asked that remedial measures be taken on an urgent basis regarding the arrangement of continuous uninterrupted supply of oxygen to COVID hospitals in Goa and for the augmentation of treatment facilities including ICUs, beds ventilators etc.
They have asked that there be adequate supply of home isolation kits at the various health centres and for the setting up of dedicated help desks and helpline numbers in Covid treatment centres and hospitals to assist the families of the patients.
They have asked that it be placed on record, the steps taken to address the concerns raised by the Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD) and the arrangements made to recruit the services of pulmonologists and intensivists in the Covid treatment centres considering the dire need at present.
While they have called for directions to be issued to village panchayats and municipal councils to assist persons undergoing home quarantine, they have said such bodies should have a 24 hour helpline as well.
They demanded that an updated list of COVID positive cases in the respective areas of the panchayats and municipalities be maintained for follow up action.
Calling for clarity on the lockdown policy and guidelines, they demanded that entry into Goa should be allowed only to those possessing COVID-19 negative certificates and that entry should be allowed only to residents of Goa and those who need to come in for urgent reasons till the present situation improves.
