NHRC directs Health Ministry, Delhi Govt to act on treatment deficiency, negligence at Delhi hospitals

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has sought Action Taken Reports (ATR) from the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and Government of NCT of Delhi over the death of a toddler due to the alleged denial of proper treatment stating that the hospitals are over-occupied with COVID-19 patients and there is no scope for non-corona patients for treatment.

Acting on a petition filed by noted human rights lawyer, social activist, and Supreme Court lawyer, Radhakanta Tripathy, the Apex Human Rights panel sought the replies within four weeks.

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Tripathy said that Krishna, a two-year-old boy, was playing on the roof of his house in the Majnu Ka Tila area in North Delhi, when he fell from the roof of his house here and succumbed to head injuries.

Tripathy alleged that several hospitals in the national capital denied him admission claiming that "beds were full due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of which the child died on April 3, 2021, on account of failure on part of Central Government Hospitals and Sushruta Trauma Centre".

"The Government of NCT of Delhi failed to provide timely treatment/medical care for his head injuries under the plea that beds are not available in the hospitals due to Covid cases," he alleged.

The family took the boy to nearby Sushruta Trauma Centre, which referred him to a prominent central government-run hospital, where authorities allegedly denied him admission claiming that "beds were full due to COVID-19".

"From there, we took our child to two more central government hospitals, which also said the same thing. The family then approached authorities at the Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, but did not get any help," Tripathy alleged.

A senior official at LNJP stated that the family had come to the trauma centre, "but was sent to another hospital as beds were full".

"We finally returned to the Sushruta Trauma Centre, where the child was declared dead at around 9 pm," the father of the Child, Bhuvinder said.

Tripathy requested the NHRC for a fair inquiry, action, against the delinquent public authorities and compensation to the next of the victim, preventive and curative actions to avoid such types of incidences during the Corona pandemic.

Citing his earlier case of medical negligence where a child died due to dengue, Tripathy also requested the NHRC for another direction to the Health Ministry for developing a cell phone app to assist the needy patient and their attendants for searching appropriate hospital be developed.

The Government of India may also think about providing first-hand medical advice/counseling and medical care facility in different nearby hospitals over telephone 24x7 on working toll-free number, he further requested.

The NHRC transmitted a copy of the complaint to the Secretary, Ministry Of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of NCT of Delhi calling for an action taken report (ATR) within four weeks.

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