The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on May 5 informed the Delhi High Court that its pharmacy is functioning in "limited manner".
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"The pharmacy at AIIMS has been functioning in a limited way, and medicines for cancer and AIDS are being distributed from the pharmacy. A large workforce of AIIMS not being able to reach the pharmacy due to the lockdown, the functioning of the pharmacy has been affected," the advocate appearing for the premier medical institution told the court.
The submissions came while a division bench of the Delhi High Court presided by two Justices was hearing a petition filed raising grievance of the out station patients who had come to AIIMS to receive treatment. The plea states that the said patients are staying in ‘Raen Baseras' and due to the COVID-19 pandemic these patients are not being provided medication that they were earlier receiving from the pharmacy at AIIMS. The plea sought the court's direction that some arrangement be made so that these patients could be provided with medications till the time the lockdown continues, and the pharmacy at AIIMS remains non-functional.
Earlier this month, while dealing with a petition having similar prayers, the court had directed the Central and Delhi governments to submit a list of hospitals where outstation patients suffering from non COVID-19 ailments can be treated. The petition sought urgent relief for about more than 350 severely ill patients and their family members/care givers currently occupying night shelters and tents in and around the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
"We direct the Union of India and the GNCTD to place on record the list of hospitals where these patients could receive treatment for ailments other than COVID-19, free-of-cost according to their eligibility. Respondent shall also state whether these patients could be provided treatment at AIIMS itself, as they were receiving earlier," said a division bench of the two Justices earlier.
Now, the court has tagged both the matters and has fixed them for hearing on May 8. It has also ruled that the status report which the AIIMS would be filing in connection with the earlier petition, shall be shared with the present petitioner too.
