Gujarat HC will diagnose govt’s H1N1 response

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Wednesday asked the state government to list what action it has taken in the last two years to contain the spread of diseases such as swine flu, dengue and malaria.
A bench of chief justice R S Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi demanded details about the authorities’ efforts to control contagious and vector-borne diseases by Monday. The issue was pending before the high court for the last two years, after Manasvi Thapar filed a PIL seeking directions to the authorities to undertake cleanliness campaigns, take effective measures to improve garbage clearing processes and to desilt drainage lines, to prevent waterlogging and outbreaks of such diseases.

In October 2016, the HC had issued a notice to the state health commissioner, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Western Railway, on the demand for quick action to prevent outbreaks of vector-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya, malaria etc.
The petitioner later sought directions to the authorities to check and prevent the spread of swine flu.
When the case came up for hearing on Wednesday, the petitioner’s advocate, K R Koshti, cited news reports showing there were 18 swine flu deaths reported in the state and the number of people infected with the disease was rising with every passing day. The lawyer submitted that the condition of public health measures did not seem to have improved in two years. Koshti also submitted that there is a shortage of medical staff at government hospitals and dispensaries and public health centres and multi-specialty hospitals run by the government do not have adequate stocks of medicine. The state government also does not have the in infrastructure to contain such outbreaks, he submitted.
The PIL wants free treatment for people at government and private hospitals, because the public is suffering due to the inaction of the government in implementing the law as well as earlier HC orders. It demands that an expert committee is formed to report on the situation.