Supreme Court/FILE
Medical apathy has added to the woes amid the coronavirus crisis in the country. Horrific scenes of mismanagement continue to emerge from hospitals. On June 10, India TV had shown scary visuals of dead bodies lying close to COVID-19 patients at the LNJP hospital in Delhi. Several patients infected with the virus were left unattended without saline drips and oxygen, throwing light on the crumbling health infrastructure in the national capital. The Supreme Court today took cognisance of the report, featured in Aaj Ki Baat, and termed the condition of the hospital "deplorable". "India TV, in its programme on June 10, showed certain videos which indicate the pathetic condition of the patients admitted in the hospital and the deplorable condition of the wards. The patients are in the wards and the dead bodies are also in the same wards," the top court mentioned in the beginning of the written order. Meanwhile, the court has also issued notices to both Delhi government and LNJP hospital.
Just a day after airing the programme, India TV also sought a clarification from the LNJP hospital, however, medical superintendent Dr. Suresh Kumar only had some bizarre justifications to give. On bodies lying on stretchers in the open, he said these had been brought downstairs and kept outside lifts. Talking about patients lying without clothes on bed, he said the central AC cooling system had been switched off due to the risk of infection. He also said there was nothing wrong if patients took off their clothes in 40 degree celsius weather. Dr. Kumar, infact, went on to say that clothes of some of the patients were taken off because they had either been given CPR or their urine catheter tubes had been changed.
