Pant Hospital assures HC of free treatment to poor patient

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) The G B Pant Hospital todayassured the Delhi High Court that it would provide freetreatment to an 18-year-old boy who sought a direction to thehospital not to charge Rs 1,30,000 for the replacement of histwo valves in the heart.

Justice S Muralidhar disposed of the petition filed bymaster Furkan, who hails from Modi Nagar, Uttar Pradesh,through his father Akbar Ali, a hawker, after accepting anaffidavit from the hospital authority.

"Without prejudice, it is submitted that the petitionerwas undergouing free treatment from the hospital. His case wasrecommended for implant of free valve by the treating doctor.

However, the petitioner failed to submit requisite papersalong with the application for processing his case," theaffidavit filed by the hospital authorities said.

Ali''s lawyer advocate Ashok Agarwal pleaded with thecourt that his client was too poor as his earning is not morethan Rs 2000 per month and cannot afford the costly treatmentand would die for want of it.

He argued denial by the hospital to provide freetreatment to him would be a violation of his client''sfundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitutionand the government is obliged to protect the citizens''fundamental right.

It cannot allow violation of this right of a citizenon the pretext of paucity of funds, argued Agarwal adding eventhe hospital, while treating his client earlier, had admittedthat it had a scheme for giving free treatment to the poor.

The scheme was, however, was discontinued later by thehospital, said Agarwal while pleading for the court''sdirection for free treatment to his client.