SHC orders inspection of hygienic conditions at Sukkur quarantine facility for COVID-19

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday directed the Sukkur deputy commissioner to inspect a quarantine ward established for coronavirus patients and submit a report about the hygienic conditions of the ward.

The direction came on identical petitions with regard to shortage of medical face masks and initiation of precautionary steps in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak in the country. A petitioner, Mohammad Kamran, submitted in the petition that the Sindh government had established a quarantine ward in Sukkur but the hygienic condition of the said ward was not proper as per reports on social media.

The additional health secretary, however, denied the allegations of the petitioner and submitted that the entire paramedical staff and district administration were providing their best possible services in the Sukkur ward.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar directed the Sukkur deputy commissioner to inspect the quarantine ward after adopting all the safety measures and submit a report through the additional health secretary on April 10.

Regarding the shortage of masks and sanitisers, the assistant commissioner (general) submitted a compliance report in which it was stated that raids were conducted against hoarding and profiteering of masks and sanitisers, during which 593,630 masks were seized and later distributed among different hospitals, field staff and general public. He further undertook that more raids will continue against such profiteering.

The additional health secretary submitted that face masks, disposable gowns, hand gloves and hand sanitisers had already been provided to all the districts of the province. The petitioner’s counsel pointed out that proper distribution of masks had not been ensured at the Civil Hospital Karachi.

The high court directed the additional health secretary to look into the matter as to whether masks had been provided to the paramedical staff or not, and submit a compliance report.

An additional advocate general Sindh placed on record a copy of the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act under which the provincial government had imposed certain restrictions on religious and social congregations, shopping malls, markets and shops of non-essential items, cinema and marriage halls, as well as ordered the closure of public and private educational institutions till May 31.

He submitted that all the deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and Mukhtiarkars had been empowered to take cognisance of any non-compliance with the directions. He submitted that the Sindh government was taking all possible efforts to protect the public at large from the coronavirus outbreak.

The SHC directed federal and provincial law officers to submit comments on the petition with regard to public awareness campaign in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.