HC asks hospital to show document exempting it from free

The Delhi High Court today asked city-based Shanti Mukand Hospital to show the document as per which it was exempted from providing free treatment to poor patients as required under the land allotment lease condition.
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva asked the hospital to place on record the lease or an allotment letter which specifies that they will not have to give free treatment to poor patients.
"Is there any condition in the lease or allotment letter that you (Shanti Mukund Hospital) will have to provide or not provide free treatment to 10 per cent or 25 per cent," the court said.

It said, "During the time of the investigation by the special committee, appointed to look into the affairs of the hospitals as per a high court order of 2007, you do not share your records, when the order is passed you come to court."
The court fixed the matter for further hearing on August 11.
The court was hearing a plea by the hospital which sought stay on the fine of Rs 56 crore imposed on it by the Delhi government for allegedly refusing to provide free treatment to poor patients as per land allotment lease condition.

Besides Shanti Mukand Hospital, the Delhi government had asked four other Delhi-based private hospitals -- Max Super Specialty Hospital (Saket), Dharamshila Cancer Hospital, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute and Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute -- to deposit "unwarranted profits" they earned from allegedly refusing free treatment to the poor.

A special committee had imposed a fine of over Rs 32 crore on Max, Rs 10.6 crore on Pushpawati Singhania, over Rs 100 crore on Fortis and Rs 17.86 crore on Dharamshila.
During the previous hearing, the court had refused to grant an interim stay in favour of Fortis and Dharamshila hospitals, saying they have to first deposit some money if wants to insist on an interim relief.
The health department of the Delhi government had claimed that the hospitals were provided land at concessional rates between 1960 and 1990on the condition that they will treat the poor free of cost, but they have not abided by it.

As many as 43 private hospitals in Delhi were allotted land at concessional rates on the condition that they will keep 10 per cent of their in-patient department capacity and 25 per cent of out-patient department capacity to treat economically weaker section patients free of cost.