Supreme Court Orders Nationwide ICU Standards, Gives States 3 Weeks To Submit Action Plan

The bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan passed the directions after taking on record a consensus document titled “Guidelines for Organization and Delivery of Intensive Care Services”, which lays down baseline standards for ICU facilities across the country.

The Court said the exercise had reached an “important stage” and emphasised the need for urgent, coordinated action. It directed that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare circulate the guidelines to all States and UTs as an advisory and upload them on its official website.

The Court ordered that within one week, Additional Chief Secretaries or Secretaries heading Health and Medical Education departments in every State and UT must convene meetings with medical experts involved in the process. These consultations, the Court said, must begin immediately and focus on identifying five core priority areas that are “absolutely essential and mandatory,” particularly in relation to manpower, equipment, and logistics.

The Bench stressed that the real challenge lies in determining what constitutes the most critical requirements for ICU functionality. It directed States to prepare a practical and realistic action plan, along with a clear implementation strategy and a monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance on the ground.

The Court made it clear that these meetings must be attended personally by the concerned senior officers and involve detailed deliberations with all stakeholders. Once the State-level exercise is completed, the reports are to be submitted to the Union Health Secretary.

Thereafter, a joint meeting of all State and UT representatives, along with members of the expert committee constituted by the Court, will be convened under the aegis of the Union Health Ministry. This meeting will finalise a common national blueprint, which is to be placed before the Court on the next date of hearing.

The Court has mandated that the entire process, from initial consultations to the preparation of the final report, be completed within three weeks. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on May 18.

During the hearing, several leading doctors and experts, including representatives from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, participated and offered practical suggestions. These included prescribing clear timelines, ensuring specialised training for personnel handling advanced equipment, developing standard operating procedures in the form of checklists, and creating a GPS-based hospital locator to help patients identify the nearest appropriate facility in emergencies.

Taking note of these suggestions, the Court indicated that they would be considered while finalising the guidelines.

The Bench also flagged the importance of strengthening human resources, particularly nursing staff, who play a critical role in ICU care. In this context, it impleaded the Indian Nursing Council and the Para Medical Council of India as party respondents and issued notice to them. These bodies have been directed to submit a plan detailing how they propose to upgrade training, curriculum, and capacity-building measures to ensure that healthcare professionals are adequately equipped to manage ICU settings.

The Court further allowed experts associated with the process to submit additional suggestions to the Additional Solicitor General or the Amicus Curiae for onward circulation among stakeholders.

Highlighting the urgency of the issue, the Court clarified that, at this stage, it would focus on five key priority areas that “brook no delay,” even as broader reforms continue to be developed.