Karnataka HC Issues Notice To State/Medical Council On Petition Claiming Refusal Of Medical Treatment To Non-Covid19 Patients [Read Petition]

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday issued notice to the state government and the Karnataka Medical council on hearing a petition filed claiming that during the complete lockdown period individual medical practitioners/doctors refused treatment to patients suffering ordinary health issues.

A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice M Nagaprasanna said "We direct the respondents to place on record measures taken to look into grievances against the medical practitioner, on account of their failure to provide medical treatment to non-covid patients." It has directed the medical council to place on record whether it has received any complaints and what action was taken in that regard, before the court on July 17.

The directions were given during the hearing of a petition filed by Advocate Ramesh Naik L who claimed that as the number of Covid-19 positive cases are rapidly growing in the state.The state government is running out of its health care facilities and is negotiating with the big private medical hospitals to join hands in providing timely medical facilities to treat Covid-19 patients.

In such a critical time of health emergency the plight of even the non-covid19 patients is worsening day by day as the tendency of private individual doctors closing their small medical clinics/ hospitals or refusing to treat non-covid patients were reported. The petitioner was witness to one of such incidents. The petitioner made a representation to the concerned authorities but has received no response from them. Considering the plight of the patients he approached the high court.

The petition states that the practise of refusing to provide medical treatment amounts to violation of Fundamental Right to Health of patients. It has prayed for directions to the state to take necessary and appropriate action available in law and direct the Medical council and all its registered practitioners and doctors to provide medical facilities to non-covid-19 patients, suffering from routine health issues.

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