PIL in HC claims Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute not giving free treatment to poor

The Delhi High Court Friday sought responses of the AAP government and the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute on a PIL alleging that the hospital has not provided free treatment to poor patients in the last two decades.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued notice to the Delhi government, the hospital and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and sought their stand by January 28, 2019 on the plea by an NGO.

NGO Social Jurist in its plea, filed through advocate Ashok Aggarwal, has contended that the hospital was allotted land by DDA on concessional rates on the condition that it will provide free treatment to poor patients to the extent of 10 per cent in IPD and 25 per cent in OPD.

Aggarwal told the bench that the high court in 2007 and the Supreme Court in July 2018 has said that hospitals allotted land on concessional rates have to provide free treatment to poor patients to the extent of 10 per cent in the In Patient Department (IPD) and 25 per cent in the Out Patient Department (OPD).

However, in the last two decades the hospital has not provided free treatment to any poor patient, the plea has alleged and claimed that in this manner it has earned "unwarranted profits" which it was liable to pay to the government for the good of the society.

The NGO has sought directions to the hospital to forthwith provide free treatment to poor patients as per the land allotment conditions.

It has also urged the court to direct the Delhi government to initiate process for recovery of the "unwarranted profits" earned by the hospital by not providing free treatment to poor patients.

Apart from that, the plea has also sought action against the hospital by the Delhi government and DDA for not providing free treatment to poor patients.