The Delhi High Court on July 8 asked the Delhi government to form a panel to look into the problems faced by patients in getting treated at the Vasant Kunj's Fortis Hospital after it was converted to a dedicated COVID-19 facility.

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The Justice passed the orders while hearing a petition by a patient and three other patients who sought the quashing of an impugned order of the Health and Family Welfare Department to the extent that it directed 100 percent of beds/facilities at Fortis Hospital to be used for COVID-19 patients' treatment.

The petition filed through advocates said that critically ill patients availing treatment at Fortis and who required life-saving support and health services on a regular/day-to-day basis such as radiotherapy, dialysis, blood transfusion, etc have been deeply aggrieved by the impugned order. The plea said that as a result of the order, the petitioners and other similarly placed patients were faced with extremely high risk to their lives since other hospitals and treatment facilities were also refusing treatment.

"While there is a need to increase the treatment capacity for COVID-19 in view of the rising number of infections, the respondents (authorities) failed to appreciate that directing registered private hospitals/nursing homes to reserve 100% of their bed capacity for COVID-19 patients is arbitrary and will not achieve the desired objective," the plea said.

The plea averred that the Delhi government had failed to consider the medical needs and conditions of existing patients such as the petitioners, and the said order had endangered their lives by failing to make alternative arrangements for their treatment.

"the respondents failed to appreciate that many of the hospitals are providing super specialised treatment in the fields of oncology, dialysis, trauma, spine, cardiology, acute/chronic diseases, etc. By directing that such hospitals and treatment facilities will be wholly dedicated for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, the order has arbitrarily disregarded the consideration and concerns of pre-existing patients in such hospitals, most (if not all) of whom are suffering from life-threatening and critical illnesses," the plea said.