HC seeks RML Hospital's response on plea alleging lack of medical facilities

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed the medical superintendent of Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital to submit an affidavit in response to a petition highlighting the issue of non-availability of proper medical facilities at the institute.

The petition raises concern over the non-availability of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), done to detect deadly infections like HIV, and essential medicines in the hospital.

"Let the counsel take instructions from the respondent no. 3 (Director of RML Hospital and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences) and 4 (Medical Superintendent of RML Hospital) and make submissions on the next date of hearing on the specific grievance of the petitioner in respect of NAT testing and non-availability of essential medicines," a bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said, news agency PTI reported.

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"A specific affidavit shall be filed by the medical superintendent of RML Hospital," it said.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on December 17.

The bench was hearing a petition by NGO Kutumb seeking direction to the central government and the RML Hospital authorities to take necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted availability of essential medicines, life-saving drugs and even safe blood transfusion facilities to the poor and needy patients at the hospital and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS), reports PTI.

Advocate Rudra Vikram Singh, representing the petitioner organisation, alleged that according to media reports, blood transfusions at RML Hospital are being conducted without the mandatory NAT, a vital safety procedure that detects deadly infections such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C during the window period when conventional antibody tests may fail.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that taking suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report about a 12-year-old boy who was critically injured and was denied admission to government hospitals due to the unavailability of ICU beds, the Delhi High Court directed a private hospital, where the boy was eventually admitted despite his family’s poor financial condition, to provide treatment under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category and refrain from demanding any payment from his parents.

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