The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the state government to submit an interim report by April 9 and a complete report by April 15 on the measures it had initiated with regard to providing required personal protective equipment to doctors, paramedical staff, nurses and ward boys to combat Covid-19, availability of medicines, food to patients, quarantine facilities to foreign returnees.

The High Court was hearing a petition filed by Prof. P L Visheshwar Rao, vice-president of Telangana Jana Samithi. Counsel for the petitioner C Prabhakar contended that the state government had failed to provide standard graded protective gear including N-95 masks, testing kits, sanitizers, personal protective equipment for all medical professionals and health workers involved in the treatment of corona virus patients. A bench headed by justices R S Chauhan and A Abhishek Reddy took up the matter for hearing through video conference.

The petitioner, through his counsel, argued that in the absence of appropriate protective gear, doctors put themselves at the risk of being affected by the virus in the discharge of their duties. It is the duty of the states to ensure graded protective gear to doctors and medical staff in order to aid them to combat the virus. The petitioner also sought food, medicine and proper medical facilities for the migrant workers left stranded by the coronavirus crisis. Further, the petitioner complained about non-supply of essential commodities at reasonable prices to the people, including migrant workers, orphans, destitute, street children and white ration cardholders.