High Court Expresses Concern Over Lack Of Medical Infrastructure For Critical Care Patients, Seeks Delhi Govt's Response

The Delhi High Court on Monday expressed concern over lack of medical infrastructure in the national capital to treat critical care patients and asked the Delhi Government as to why the infrastructure is not keeping pace with the demand.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed the Delhi Government to disclose the amount it has been spending on augmenting the health sector in the last five years.

The court was dealing with a suo motu PIL initiated in 2017 concerning the issue of availability of ICU beds and ventilator facility in the government hospitals here.

Last month, the bench had directed the Delhi Government to file a status report indicating as to how it plans to ensure that the medical infrastructure keeps pace with the city's population.

An application was filed by Amicus Curiae, Advocate Ashok Aggarwal, highlighting a recent incident wherein a man, who was seriously injured after jumping from a moving PCR van, died after being refused medical treatment at four government hospitals (two Delhi Government and two Central Government hospitals).

During the hearing today, the court asked the Delhi Government's counsel as to how it was possible that there is no bed available in four government hospitals.

“Previously it was not like this. Accident cases were granted admission in the nearest hospital…You create a portal but facilities are not available in 4 hospitals, including two states, this means there is shortage of beds overall. You ensure that at least in all districts beds are available at some place for accident victims. Accidents can happen anywhere…,” the court told the Delhi Government's counsel.

It added: “At times, budget sanctioned for healthcare augmentation gets diverted for other funds...Budget normally percentage wise might not have come down but has it been diverted to somewhere else? At times funds get diverted. What happens is that hospitals are not getting augmented and some other project of yours is getting augmented. It should not happen like that…Problem today is that critical care patients are not getting attention. You'll have to increase the budget.”

The court also directed the Delhi Government to explore the feasibility of setting up a central portal indicating on a real time basis the number and nature of beds available in all hospitals in the city.

Last month, the bench had observed that the medical infrastructure in Delhi is inadequate and the number of hospital beds are insufficient.

Earlier, the court had directed the hospitals managed by the Central Government to operate a Control Room for providing information about availability of beds with ventilator facilities, by notifying the phone numbers of Control Room through public notice in the print media and web portal.

Title: COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION v. UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.