Centre to reply on plea for treatment of mentally disabled

Delhi High Court today sought the response of the Centre on a petition seeking a direction to the government to issue guidelines for treatment of mentally challenged patients and persons with special needs in private hospitals.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also issued notice to Delhi government seeking its response on the petition by August 22, the next date of hearing.
The petition, filed by Delhi-based Sanjay Tiwari, also sought a direction to the Centre and Delhi government to "formulate proper guidelines for treatment of critical illness suffered by mentally disabled persons and facilitation of a separate department for assessment and treatment of persons with special needs in private hospitals."

The petitioner alleged that in November last year he had taken his daughter, who is a person with special needs, to a private hospital here as she was suffering from dengue.
He claimed that she was denied admission in the hospital on the ground that she is a person with special needs and the hospital does not have the licence to treat such patients.
The petitioner said that he admitted his daughter to another hospital for treatment and thereafter he had filed RTI seeking reply from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the guidelines for treatment of such patients.

He said in the reply, the ministry informed him that there was no separate policy prescribed with regard to treatment of persons with special needs suffering from ailments like dengue, and working of private hospitals was regulated by the respective state governments.

The petitioner further said when he sought RTI reply on the issue from Delhi government, he was told that no such information was available or maintained.
"It would be in great public interest if all types of critically ill patients could be treated at all hospitals, private or public, to uphold the right of life for all citizens of Delhi," the plea said, adding that as per 2011 census there were 2.68 crore persons with special needs in the country.

"Respondents (Centre and Delhi government) should have such policies which makes treatment for mentally disabled and persons with special needs mandatory in private hospitals which are known as multi-speciality hospitals," it said.