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Synopsis

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court expressed serious apprehensions regarding the inadequate health infrastructure in the capital's hospitals and reprimanded the government for its failure to ensure the operational status of facilities such as MRI and CT scans.

The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora suggested the possibility of constituting a committee of doctors to assess Delhi's hospitals and propose measures for enhancing the infrastructure.

Acting Chief Justice Manmohan expressed surprise upon learning that nearly 78 percent of radiologist positions in Delhi government hospitals were vacant.

The bench was informed that a hospital in Dwarka, with a sanctioned strength of 450 nurses, had almost 300 vacant positions. Due to the shortage of staff, the 1,200-bed hospital was functioning with only 250 beds.

While examining a detailed report submitted by the Delhi government, the court remarked that although the data presented a seemingly positive picture, the actual situation on the ground was different.

The bench expressed its willingness to assist in rectifying the situation but emphasized the need for accurate information. To address the apparent personnel shortage, the court impleaded the Delhi government’s services department, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), and the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) as parties to the case and issued notices to them.

The court directed the Delhi government’s Principal Secretary (Health) to personally appear in court and scheduled the case for further hearing on February 5.

The court passed the orders while hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) initiated in 2017, focusing on the availability of ICU beds and ventilator facilities in government hospitals. 

The amicus curiae Advocate Ashok Aggarwal had earlier informed the bench that the man was denied treatment by three Delhi governments and one central government hospital on different pretexts, including the non-availability of an ICU, ventilator bed, or CT scan. The bench was informed about an incident on the intervening night of January 2–3, 2024, when a man who jumped out of a moving Police Control Room (PCR) van died after being denied treatment by four government hospitals.

The amicus also apprised the court that the man was taken to the Delhi government-run Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, and the Center’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Notably, in an order dated December 13, 2023, the court emphasized the pressing need to align medical facilities with the burgeoning population of the national capital. The court underscored the growing demand surpassing the available supply, particularly highlighting the scarcity of hospital beds.

Case Title: Court on its own motion v. Union of India & Ors.