HC directs AIIMS to give free treatment to cancer patient

New Delhi, Jun 10: The Delhi High Court today directed AIIMS to provide free treatment to a blood cancer patient, saying his plea was a "mercy petition" and it was duty of the court to help him. Justice I S Mehta ordered AIIMS to provide all necessary treatment, free of cost, to 30-year-old Satish Morya till the next date of hearing on July 9, of the plea filed by his brother.

The court was hearing the plea by Anand Kumar Morya, who sought directions to the hospital to provide free and continuous treatment to his brother.

Appearing for the patient, advocate Ashok Agarwal told the court that 30-year-old Satish has been undergoing chemotherapy at AIIMS and his family has already spent around Rs three lakh on it and and cannot afford further treatment.

In his plea, Morya said his brother, a resident of Mathura who ran a photocopy-cum-lamination shop, was diagnosed with Burkitt's Leukemia, a form of blood cancer, in March, barely three months after his marriage.

Due to his condition, the shop had to be closed down and the machines sold off to bear the cost of treatment, the plea said. Satish's father, a Class IV railway employee with a monthly salary of Rs 12,000, was now the sole earning member in a family of six, it said.

The patient's father has exhausted all his savings on the treatment, and his provident fund account is now only left with a balance of Rs 24,550, the petition said.

"They (the family) have been given an additional estimate of Rs six lakh (for the treatment) recently, which they are unable to bear. The petition thus seeks continuation of treatment at AIIMS free of cost in order to save Satish's life," it said.

The petition also said that Satish has responded well to the treatment and his condition has improved, and added that the family's representations, on May 1 and 13, to AIIMS for free treatment has received no response.

PTI