The directive was issued by the HC after N Kumarjit, Advocate General (AG) of Manipur, informed the court that the state has no machinery in place to monitor how oxygen supplies made to hospitals are being utilised.
The High Court of Manipur has directed the state government to take appropriate steps for monitoring utilisation of the oxygen supplied to hospitals.
The directive was issued by the HC after N Kumarjit, Advocate General (AG) of Manipur, informed the court that the state has no machinery in place to monitor how oxygen supplies made to hospitals are being utilised.
Naresh Maimom, advocate, had filed a PIL seeking information on difficulties being faced by the people of Manipur due to insufficient oxygen supplies and hospital infrastructure, among others, amid the second Covid-19 wave.
During the course of the hearing, the AG stated that as the government had already constituted a State Oxygen Management Team, it may be directed to monitor and track the use of oxygen supplied to each individual hospital.
“This would ensure that needy patients are catered to and supplied oxygen, irrespective of their pull and status. The Team would also be in a position to bring transparency to the entire exercise through ‘Updates’ in the newspapers. Such ‘Updates’ would also shed light on the extent of the demand raised by each hospital in the State and the supply made, subject to availability of oxygen, on a day-to-day basis”.
Accordingly, the HC directed the state to take steps in this regard.
Noting the lack of machinery, the court further asked the state to take appropriate steps to monitor the treatment of patients, be it government or private hospitals.
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