Should free renal transplant be followed by free post-op medicines: HC asks Delhi govt

Advocate Ashok Agarwal submitted that the petitioners underwent a renal transplant surgery free of cost through a fund provided by the Central Government. "AIIMS provided them medicines out of the remaining funds for two years, but now they have stopped providing the expensive medicines to petitioners which are essential to them,' he submitted.

The counsel for the Central Government Advocate Shankar Kumar Jha contended that AIIMS has performed 1700 renal transplants and it can not provide free-of-cost medicines to every patient. "Besides, health is a subject of the state," he said. Then the counsel for the petitioners argued that the petitioner belonged to the state of Bihar. Therefore, it should be made a party in the matter. The counsel for Central Government submitted that it is not feasible to make Bihar a party here.

The High Court was hearing the plea moved by Surender Kumar through Advocate Ashok Agarwal. The petition sought a direction to AIIMS to also provide free-of-cost post-renal transplant essential medicines namely, Capsule Tacrograf and Tablet Cellcept to petitioner number 1, Surender Kumar, and medicines namely Capsule Pangraf and Tablet Cellcept to the petitioner number 2, Raj Kumar Singh.

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