Everyone will be treated in Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has said, stating in an order that treatment “should not be denied to any patient on grounds of being a non-resident”.

 

New Delhi, June 8:

Two controversial decisions of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi on testing only those with coronavirus symptoms and blocking hospitals for residents were overruled by the Lieutenant Governor today, in a revival of the centre versus Arvind Kejriwal fight.

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal overturned the Delhi government’s order on testing only those showing COVID-19 symptoms and said asymptomatic cases and high-risk contacts of a virus patient will also be tested.

Any deviation from the testing rules of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) “can result in further spread of COVID-19 in the capital,” Mr Baijal said in his order.

The Lieutenant Governnor, who is a representative of the central government in Delhi, also overruled Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s decision to reserve hospitals run by the Delhi government and some private hospitals for residents of the capital amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

Everyone will be treated in Delhi without “discrimination”, Mr Baijal said in his order, asserting that treatment “should not be denied to any patient on grounds of being a non-resident”. He referred to the Supreme Court saying in various judgments that “Right to Health” is an integral part of “Right to Life” in the constitution.