HC directs Govt to frame policy on free treatment by pvt hospitals

New Delhi, Dec 13 (UNI) Coming down heavily on the authorities, the Delhi High Court today asked the Urban Development Ministry to frame a policy within a month with regard to 26 private hospitals which were allotted land at concessional rates, to provide free treatement to certain percentage of patients from weaker sections of the society.

Hearing a PIL filed by Social Jurist, an NGO, a Division Bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar said the land owning agencies--Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in case of 24 hospitals and Land and Development Office (L&DO) in case of two hospitals--should initiate action against the erring hospitals not complying with the land lease agreements.

The Court also directed Principal Secretary Health, Delhi, Urban Development Ministry Joint Secretary and Vice Chairman of DDA to prepare a report with regard to the corpus funds, to be created after collecting money from the hospitals for not providing free treatment.

The High Court had earlier directed the authorities to create corpus funds by collecting a percentage of the profit of the default hospitals.

While adjourning the matter till January 17, the Court observed that the hospitals made profits by establishing huge infrastructure on the land allotted to them at concessional rates. ''The purpose of allotment at the cost of public money was defeated as the hospitals did not adhere to the terms of the agreement'', it observed.

''The free treatment to a poor patient should also include free bed, medicine and other clinical tests'', the court noted.

Advocate Ashok Agrawal appearing for Social Jurist said during a surprise visit, the Court-appointed committee found that three hospitals-- Venu Eye Centre, Indian Spinal Injury Hospital and Arya Parakal Vaidyashala-- had provided free treatment to 25 per cent patients who were from the weaker sections of society.

The Committee, headed by Mr Maninder Acharya and formed by the High Court, had submitted a status report stating that it visited 26 hospitals and found that there were not a single poor patient was admitted to any of the 18 hospitals.

In its report, the committee observed that the Escorts Heart Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Dharmashila Cancer Hospital, Jiwan Anmol Hospital and Mahavir Hospital were among the hospitals which did not have a single poor patient for treatment.

The DDA had cancelled the lease deal of the Escorts Hospital, which the single bench of Justice Anil Kumar had stayed till final disposal of the petition.

The Court asked the committee to make another surprise visit to the hospitals in the intervening period. The Delhi Police had been directed to provide security to the members during the visit.

In December 2005, the Delhi High Court had formed the committee comprising Delhi Health Secretary, some eminent Advocates including petitioner Ashok Aggarwal and government officials to monitor the implementation of its directives for giving free treatment to some poor patients in the private hospitals which were allotted land by the DDA and the L&DO of the Urban Development Ministry at concessional rates.

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