Couple of doctors launched judicial review proceedings against British government (Representation)
London:
Husband-wife couple of Indian origin have launched judicial review proceedings against the British government for what it claims to be a refusal to resolve safety concerns related to personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and workers health during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr Nishant Joshi and his pregnant wife, Dr Meenal Viz, launched a lawsuit in April with a pre-action letter seeking responses from the UK Department of Health and Welfare and Public Health England.
On Wednesday, they decided to pursue the case before the High Court in London because they believe they “don’t want to wait anymore”.
“We don’t want to do this. We hadn’t planned to do it. We are doctors in a pandemic. We want to focus on saving lives and bringing this country together,” the couple said in a statement. .
“But we have been pushed to act by the government’s refusal to deal with the issues we have raised,” they said.
Their law firm, Bindmans, said the challenge to judicial review highlights the “disconnect” between government directives on PPE and directives issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), including in regarding when “full” PPE is also required. regarding re-use and reprocessing of PPE – which includes items such as surgical gowns, face shields and gloves.
Doctors’ records say government counsel also fail to properly warn health and social service workers of the risks they face with different levels of PPE and their legal rights to refuse to work in the event inadequate PPE.
“As primary care physicians, Dr. Viz and Dr. Joshi understand better than most the operational pressures facing government, but they, along with all other health and social service workers, are still entitled to legal and transparent advice on the use of PPE and the risks that they are on the front line to respond to this national crisis, “said Jamie Potter, partner at Bindmans LLP and lawyer for Dr Viz and Dr Joshi.
“As a result, we have today [Wednesday] has introduced a judicial review procedure aimed at challenging these guidelines with a view to bringing them into line with WHO guidelines as well as with human rights legislation. This is important not only in the current crisis, but also for any “second peak” or future pandemic, “he said.
The couple stress that a disproportionate number of victims of Covid-19 are from ethnic minorities, and the challenge also raises the government’s failure to properly take into account the impact on black health and social workers, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) across the state. funded by the National Health Service (NHS).
“The government has also refused to allow Dr. Viz and Dr. Joshi to publish their initial responses to pre-action correspondence so that others can assess the adequacy of their approach to PPE. Our customers will press for these documents to be produced. public, “said their cabinet.
The couple’s online crowdfunding initiative for the court case has raised more than 61,000 pounds of pledges. Viz, an eight-month pregnant woman, also led protests outside Downing Street and last month, she and her colleagues observed a silence of 237 seconds – one second for every healthcare worker who died in the exercise of his duties during this pandemic in the UK.
The health ministry said it could not comment on the “ongoing legal proceedings” but stressed in the past that safety factors have been taken into account in its guidelines.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
