in the 1241-bedded Indira Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Dwarka, noting that the deficit manpower needs to be recruited as early as possible. ????

The high court noted that as per a status report filed by the Delhi government, against 1204 sanctioned posts, 1013 staff is available in the hospital. “In the considered opinion of this court, the deficit staff deserves to be recruited as early as possible and, therefore, six months is granted to recruit the staff against the vacant posts in the hospital. ?

“The hospital in question is catering to the needs of the people in and around Dwarka and there is no other government hospital. The Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department shall carry out a periodic review after every six months for enhancing the number of beds in the hospital and for enhancing the manpower in the hospital,” a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said. ?

Taking note of the status report that the hospital is fully functional now, the high court disposed of the public interest litigation (PIL) which was seeking to make operational the Dwarka hospital that was under construction for the last 8 years and was near completion. ???

The PIL was filed by Dwarka Court Bar Association in 2021 after the deadly coronavirus had infected a large number of people in society.?It had sought to direct the Delhi government to complete the construction of the hospital and also to provide all basic amenities, infrastructure, staff, and other facilities in the hospital. ????

The high court, from time to time, has passed various orders to ensure that the hospital becomes completely functional and the authorities had also filed several status reports.?The Delhi government, in its latest status report, informed the court that 13 specialists have been posted by the Department of Health and Family Welfare and General Duty Medical Officers have been posted against all 18 posts in the hospital. ???

“299 nursing officers have been posted and at present as many as 1000 patients are being given treatment in the OPD (out-patient department) per day. As many as 1406 patients have been given treatment under emergency services. The status report also reveals that OPD services are available in as many as 10 specialties,” the report said. ??

It said that indoor patient services are available in nine specialties and a dialysis unit is in existence that is functional under the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme.?Pharmacy services have been made available and there are other clinical services like animal bites services, hypertension clinic, diabetic clinic, vaccination services, including covid vaccination, pre-anesthetic check-up clinic, leprosy clinic, and geriatric clinic are also functional, it said.

The high court had earlier directed the Principal Secretary (Home) of the Delhi government to monitor on weekly basis the progress made in the completion work of 1,241 bedded Indira Gandhi Hospital, which will be a COVID-19 dedicated hospital, and take appropriate disciplinary action against those found guilty of any lapse or negligence.?

It had noted that the initial date of completion of the hospital project in?Dwarka?was February 2017 and thereafter, the bed capacity was increased from 700 to 1241 the revised completion date was in September 2019 and it is yet to be completed.

(With PTI inputs)