Supreme Court. (Photo Credit: PTI/File)
New Delhi:
A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court Wednesday seeking directions to the Centre and the state governments to resolve the issue of shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) kits for healthcare professionals including doctors and security personnel at hospitals and other places to combat COVID-19 or coronavirus.
The PIL, filed by by lawyer and activist Amit Sahni, said healthcare professionals and security personnel are performing the most challenging job and governments should resolve the shortage of PPE kits including “body coveralls, N-95 masks and 2-ply/3-ply surgical masks” for them.
The PIL has also sought directions to the Centre and other authorities to monitor the shortage of PPE kits and other equipments and resolve it on daily basis in the larger public interest.
Referring to news reports, it said there is acute shortage of PPE for doctors and para-medical staffs in the country and “the same is an extreme reason for worry amongst Doctors, Nurses and other healthcare workers.”
“The Heatlhcare professions are real soldiers, who are front line fighters during the present Health Emergency against the Pandemic of Covid-19. Health Soldiers are constrained to fight the battle without life-saving guards,” the plea said
It added that news reports say that such healthcare professionals would become “sitting ducks” in the absence of PPE kits.
“The Healthcare professionals are working day and night despite various odds and resistance from their family members because their life is at risk and it’s not only obligation of the respondents to take care of wellbeing of these Health Soldiers but the same is crucial to tackle the present Health emergency as well,” it said.
