By IANS,
New Delhi: Bhram Pal Singh, a horse-cart driver from Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur town, claimed a private hospital here denied him treatment for lack of money, despite the Delhi High Court’s direction to give free treatment to the economically weaker sections of the society. The hospital has denied the allegations.
“The doctors at Venu Eye Institute and Research Centre here asked me to pay Rs.10,000 for the treatment of my eye ailment,” Singh told IANS, stating that he earns even less than Rs.4,000 a month.
“Initially, the hospital asked me to pay Rs.36,000, calling my surgery a critical one. Then, after I explained to them that this amount is beyond my capacity, they lowered it to Rs.10,000,” Singh said.
When he explained his inability to pay, he was denied treatment at the hospital, Singh said.
The hospital denied Singh’s claims.
“We are ready for treating the patient today also. We are treating over 50 patients a day who belong to economically weaker sections. We are happy to give treatment to these people,” Tanuja Joshi, manging director of the Venu Eye Hospital, told IANS.
According to the Delhi High Court’s directions, all hospitals which have taken the land on subsidised rates from the government are bound to give free treatment to the patients belonging to the economically weaker sections.
Advocate Ashok Agarwal, who is fighting Singh’s case, said: “According to the court orders, a patient seeking free treatment requires to sign a declaration provided by the hospital itself to the effect that his family income is less then Rs.4,000 per month.
“The hospital cannot insist upon such patients to produce documents, including BPL card, in support thereof,” said Agarwal, who is also a member of a high court-appointed special committee to oversee the implementation of EWS (economically weaker section) scheme.
Agarwal also wrote a letter to the Delhi government’s health secretary, saying: “The conduct on the part of the hospital tantamounts to contempt of the court order as the hospital has deliberately and wilfully disobeyed and disrespected the directions of the court.”
“The government can also initiate action by taking over the management of the hospital, and the lease deed of the hospital is also liable to be cancelled by the land owning agency,” he said.