Shimla, Aug 11 (IANS): The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the state government not to shift Covid-19 patients from Sirmaur and Solan districts to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) Hospital in Shimla unless the hospitals there run out of capacity for new patients.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice L. Narayana Swamy and Justice Anoop Chitkara passed these orders on a petition filed by Inderjit Singh, who challenged the July 16 order of the government designating the DDU Zonal Hospital as a Dedicated Covid Care Hospital for Solan and Sirmaur, besides Shimla and Kinnaur districts.

The petitioner said at a meeting held on May 15 several shortcomings, comprising staff at the DDU Hospital came to the fore.

"When the DDU is not fully equipped, it would be detrimental to public interest to transfer the patients from Solan and Sirmaur to Shimla," he prayed.

During the hearing on August 7 it was pointed out by the Director Health Services that there are 24 ventilators but two anesthetists can handle six ventilators only. Only two anesthetists have been deployed.

The court, posting the matter for next hearing on August 17, observed that even if two anesthetists are available, other ventilators still do not have anesthetists to operate them.