NHRC makes slew of recommendations for improving COVID management at Delhi govt-run hospital

From monitoring of quality of food served to patients to providing psychological counselling to medical and paramedical staff on COVID-19 duty, the NHRC has made a slew of recommendations to LNJP Hospital for improving overall management at the dedicated coronavirus facility of the Delhi government.

From monitoring of quality of food served to patients to providing psychological counselling to medical and paramedical staff on COVID-19 duty, the NHRC has made a slew of recommendations to LNJP Hospital for improving overall management at the dedicated coronavirus facility of the Delhi government. The recommendations have been made in a report sent by the National Humans Rights Commission (NHRC) to the Delhi government, the rights panel tweeted.

The report is based on the visit of a team of the NHRC, led by its member Jyotika Kalra, to LNJP Hospital on June 11 for an on-spot inspection of the facility in the wake of allegations of mismanagement in handling the COVID-19 situation in the city. LNJP Hospital is a dedicated COVID-19 facility under the Delhi government.

The quality of food to be provided should be monitored by a dietician, and patients should be allowed to be in touch with their family through mobile phones, the NHRC has recommended. "The list of oxygen-enabled ambulances be put on Delhi government website and charges of the ambulances also be monitored," the NHRC said.

The NHRC suggests to LNJP Hospital to provide psychological counselling to medical and paramedical staff on COVID-19 duty, the rights panel tweeted. Besides, COVID Care Centre be created for those positive patients who live in slums, rehabilitation colonies, including those who don't have independent toilet, room for quarantine, it recommended.

Also, the rights panel suggested that for augmenting manpower, services of final year MBBS students can also be availed appropriately. "The retired medical and paramedical staff in sound health can also be roped in," it said.

Prior to the team's visit, the Commission on June 10 had sent notices to the Union health ministry and the Delhi government over the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the national capital, and asked them to submit a report in 10 days on healthcare facilities and related issues. The NHRC had then said the idea of the visit was to help hospital administration to "plug loopholes in their functioning and not just find faults".