New Delhi, Nov 4 The Delhi government has been directed by the high court to pay over Rs 11 lakh to a journalist as medical expenses after he had to take his wife to a private hospital due to non-availability of treatment in government hospital.
Justice Amit Mahajan said Ravinder Gupta, an accredited journalist, has made out a case of reimbursement of the medical expenses incurred towards the treatment of his wife at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital.
The court on October 29 rejected the submission of the Delhi government counsel that to claim reimbursement, there ought to have been a strike in the government hospital and merely because a government hospital had been declared a Covid hospital, it cannot be equated to there being a strike there.
"From a patient-centric perspective, a government hospital strike and a designated Covid status share a functional similarity as both result in the sudden suspension of standard outpatient and inpatient services, forcing the patient to look elsewhere for medical treatment.
"While the reasons for a strike and a Covid-19 declaration are completely different, the end result for the petitioner was identical as his wife, non-Covid patient, was turned away from receiving emergency healthcare in a government hospital during the relevant period and he was forced to avail facilities of a private hospital," it said.
The court directed the director of health services of the Delhi government to pay Rs 11.83 lakh to the petitioner within eight weeks.
Gupta had said that in August 2021, his wife was unwell and G.B. Pant Hospital referred her to another hospital as the facility for vascular surgery was not available there.
The plea said that in view of the unavailability of the requisite treatment in government hospitals, owning to their declaration as Covid hospitals, he petitioner was compelled to seek emergency treatment at the private hospital.
