Control swine flu deaths: Gujarat high court to government

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) once again got a rebuke from Gujarat high court on Wednesday “for taking its direction lightly” in response to a petition seeking prompt measure to curb spread of swine flu, which has already claimed over 200 lives across the state.
A bench headed by Justice M R Shah told government’s law officers that everything looks all right on paper, but the reality is different.The court asked the state government to state what measures have been taken to curb the spread of the disease.
The court said that so many people dying of the disease is really serious, and the authorities must take prompt steps in public interest. The court has sought a report in this regard by Monday.
The court also expressed concern about testing facilities and commented whether there is a provision to provide this facility free of cost to the poor.
The court’s chiding came after advocate K R Koshti urged the court to issue directions to arrest further damage due to swine flu spread in absence of proper facilities. By adding the issue of swine flu in his last year’s PIL to curb vector-borne diseases, the lawyer submitted that the state government and AMC machinery was never prepared to fight against H1N1 virus, and to prevent loss of life.
The PIL stated that despite World Health Organization (WHO) warning, no effective measure has been chalked out by the administration to tackle the outbreak. Till August 15, 208 people died out of total 1,883 swine flu patients in Gujarat.
The petitioner complained that the government has not set up laboratories at districts across the state for testing the virus, and delay caused in diagnosis proves fatal in most cases. The PIL has complained that AMC does not have enough staff in its health department to deal with the situation.
The PIL has demanded appointment of a committee of experts for field visit to take stock of the situation and to report to the court about the reality.
It seeks directions for creating facilities of diagnosis and free treatment for the poor. It has also asked for compensation for the victims.
Meanwhile, Justice Shah recalled the directions issued last week to AMC to clear roads of stray cattle and garbage.
The judge said that heaps of garbage have not been removed yet, though the authorities had promised to bring in visible change in a week’s time.