Free treatment; HC notice to Delhi govt, DDA on plea of pvt

The Delhi High Court today sought responses from the city government and the DDA on a plea by a private hospital that no coercive steps be taken against it for not providing free treatment to poor patients as it did not receive the land at concessional rate.
Justice Manmohan issued notices to the Delhi Government and Delhi Development Authority on the plea of Rockland Hospital that the 2007 judgement of the High Court asking 20 other private hospitals to give free treatment to poor does not apply to it as it did not get the land at concessional rate.
The plea has sought a direction that the Delhi government be restrained from taking coercive actions in pursuance of various letters including the show cause notices issued by it to the hospital on August 8, 2013 and May 27, 2014.

During the hearing, the court, however, observed that poor patients should be provided free treatment.
"Freeship has to be provided. The rich must pay for the poor...You (hospital) can recover from the rich," it said.
The hospital had also said that no action be taken against it "in terms of judgement dated March 22, 2007, in which 20 hospitals, which had acquired land on concessional rates, were asked to provide free treatment to poor persons."
The plea said the hospital was built after the judgement was delivered in 2007 on the PIL.
It also said the hospital did not get the land at concessional rates.