HC seeks information about Covid patients

Aurangabad, Sept 8:

The Aurangabad division bench of Mumbai High Court ordered the state government to provide information on an affidavit within two weeks about the number of Covid patients treated in the state, how many have taken benefit of the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojna (MPJAY) and the expenses of treatment of how many patients have been given.

A public interest litigation (PIL) requesting to treat the Covid patients under the MPJAY, to cancel the condition of admitting only serious Covid patients on ventilators for it and to return the additional payment taken from the patients was admitted in the division bench.

During the first hearing of the PIL, the state government had clarified that the scheme is not for the acute serious patients but for the Covid patients. An affidavit was submitted that a total of 8.66 lakh patients were treated free of cost, but this information proved false. Only 10 percent patients were benefited from it. The bench on May 7, 2021 had ordered to take necessary action in this regard.

Now, during the hearing, the bench sought information about the number of Covid patients treated and the number of patients benefited with the scheme. How many patients submitted complaints and the treatment expenses received by how many patients, within two weeks.

Adv Amarjeetsingh Girasi appeared for the petitioners and Adv Parth Surendra Salunke and Adv Yogesh Bolkar assisted him. Adv Sujit Karlekar appeared for the government.