ITANAGAR, Sep 10: The Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court on Thursday closed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that raised concern regarding lack of facilities at the Covid Care Centre (CCC), Lekhi with a direction to the state’s health department to take necessary steps for providing psychosocial support to the inmates there.
The PIL was filed by the petitioner raising concern that the Covid-19 positive patients quarantined at CCC, Lekhi have not been provided with hygienic environment with no daily sanitization and disinfection of premises, no hygienic and quality meals thrice a day necessary to enable them to build strong immunity against Covid-19, no sanitization workers to sanitize and disinfect toilets and rooms of each ward, no potable clean water and adequate bed-sheets and their replacement and no psychosocial support by the doctors.
The State’s Department of Health in its affidavit-in-opposition stated that the management of CCC Lekhi is under the control of the Deputy Commissioner, Itanagar Capital Complex who acts as the Chairman of the District Disaster Management Agency. The ICR DC also contended that CCC Lekhi is being managed as per the guidelines recommended by the WHO as well as the guidelines issued by the National Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC). Sanitization is done thrice a day and adequate nutritious meals are also provided to the inmates and Covid-19 positive patients, the affidavit said.
In view of the claims and counter-claims, the Court constituted a Fact Finding Committee (FFC) comprising 5 members to make a ground-level assessment of the functioning and maintenance of the Centre. Responding to the FFC report dated September 10, the petitioner’s counsel submitted before Justice Nani Tagia  that everything is in order at CCC Lekhi and the same is managed in accordance with the guidelines. The report, however, observed that “Due to lack of counselling psychologists, psychological support and counselling is given only through tele-counselling on need basis,” which is a deviation from the Union Health Ministry’s guidelines which mandates that “interpersonal communication needs to made to all of the inmates one after another in groups by a psychiatrist team initially and later on with individual counselling sessions.”
Taking cognizance of this provision, the Court directed the State’s Health Department to take necessary steps for providing psychosocial support to all the inmates of the Centre as per the applicable guidelines. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
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