Delhi HC issues notice to private hospitals for failing to provide free healthcare to the poor

The Delhi High Court has sent out notices to 12 private hospitals for failing to provide free healthcare facilities to underprivileged patients. The Delhi High court had issued orders prior to this notice regarding the same issue which the hospitals have allegedly ignored. A bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw sought response from the 12 hospitals, which were given land at subsidised rates by the government, by Aug 30.

The court's direction came on a plea seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against these hospitals for their failure to comply with the court's March 22, 2007, order. The court in 2007, while hearing a public interest litigation, ruled that all private hospitals given subsidised government land must treat the poor free of cost.

While holding free treatment to the poor as "obligatory" for such hospitals, the court had said that the institutions were obliged to provide free treatment up to 25 percent in their out-patient departments and 10 percent of their in-patient departments. Advocate Ashok Aggarwal, appearing for NGO Social Jurist which filed the plea seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings, sought direction to the hospitals to follow the lease deed conditions.

Source: IANS