Coronavirus: Delhi Police file FIR against hospital for allegedly violating testing guidelines
The hospital has been accused of failing to follow the government’s instructions to register coronavirus tests on an official software.
The Delhi Police on Saturday filed a first information report against Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, a leading facility for coronavirus treatment in the Capital, for violating the government’s guidelines related to testing, PTI reported. The police complaint by the Delhi government came amid its clash with hospitals over the management of the health crisis in the Capital.
The FIR was filed on a complaint by Amit Kumar Pamasi, who is the deputy secretary of the Delhi Heath Department. The complainant alleged that the hospital had not been following the Delhi government’s instruction to register coronavirus tests on an official software programme, according to NDTV. For such registration, the Centre has developed an RT-PCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) app.
The official added that the hospital had not been using the app. “Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is still not using RT PCR app even till June 3, which is a clear violation of directions issued under Epidemic Disease Covid-19 Regulation 2020 Act,” the FIR stated, according to The Indian Express.
Officials from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital have not responded to the police complaint.
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The discord between the Delhi government and hospitals in the Capital has been growing over the last few days. Earlier on Saturday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that some private hospital were involved in the “black marketing” of beds amid the escalating health crisis. He warned hospitals of strict action in case they refused to admit patients.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain had on Friday accused hospitals of not updating the data on the government’s “Delhi corona” app and said that they were giving out false information to patients who called with questions about the availability of beds.
Delhi has reported 26,334 coronavirus cases and 708 deaths so far, according to the Union health ministry. More than 10,000 people in the Capital have recovered.
