AGARTALA, Sep 28 (TIWN): Tripura High Court which took a suo moto case over COVID-19 mismanagement has asked Tripura Govt to clarify more matters. The next hearing is listed on 5th October.

"The Central Expert Team had visited the State Government and during a weeklong stay had inspected the coronavirus treatment centres and had submitted a report. This report has made various suggestions and recommendations for improvement of the coronavirus treatment.An action taken report shall be submitted before us on the next date of hearing", High Court order copy signed by Chief Justice reported. 

"In the previous affidavit, it was stated that in number of cases patients were admitted in the Covid hospital very late. This resulted into a death rate going up. In other words, according to the Government if the patients had reported to the Government facility and were admitted in the Covid hospital earlier, a few deaths could have been avoided. In our view, this late reporting could also be attributed to the public perception about the facilities at the Covid hospital. If such public perception can be improved by ensuring members of the public that proper medical as well as other care such patients need will be provided, the reporting of such cases would be sooner. We would request the Government to form a team of senior doctor/s and administrator who would periodically visit the Covid hospital, inspect the treatment and the facilities available at the centre and make recommendations and suggestions to the Government. If this is already done, the same shall be stated in the affidavit. Reports and suggestions of the team shall be shared with the Court", the order said.

"We notice that pursuant to our previous suggestion, the Government has already negotiated the rates of various treatments related to Covid care with the ILS Hospital which is a private hospital. This is a  Page 7 of 7 positive step and ensures that a ceiling has been placed for various treatments that the hospital can charge from the patients and the hospital is not allowed to exploit the emergency situation that the patient and the relatives may have been put into. However, learned counsel Mr. Somik Deb drew our attention to the various charges that the said hospital is authorized by the administration to collect. He submitted that these charges are also on the higher side. He stated that the Government has specified the rates at which these treatments would be charged when the same is outsourced. If there are any such rates fixed, the same shall be stated in the affidavit to be filed before the next date of hearing", the order copy said about private hospital charge issue.

"Lastly, learned counsel Mr. Deb submitted that there were two internal reports about the quality of medical equipments, such as PPE kits which the Government had obtained. If there was any such inquiry leading up to the reports as suggested, the affidavit shall disclose the details thereof", it said.