HC issues notice on plea alleging kidney patient died outside RML due to denial of treatment
A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government and disaster management authorities seeking their stands on the petition by a society which seeks that all medical facilities be made available to non-COVID patients.
The court also directed RML hospital to immediately hand over the woman's body to her family, as the hospital was waiting for her COVID-19 test result to do so.
The woman patient had died outside the emergency ward of RML Hospital on April 26 as she was not provided medical facility by the hospital, the petition by Nayee Soch Society has alleged.
The society, in its plea, has also claimed there are not sufficient ambulances available in the national capital for non-COVID patients.
Delhi government additional standing counsel Naushad Ahmed Khan said the court has orally directed the authorities to mention in their affidavit details of the number of ambulances and hospitals available in the city for non-COVID patients.
The court, which heard the matter via video conferencing, listed the petition for further hearing on May 6.
The petition has alleged that the woman, mother of four children, was denied dialysis at some hospitals in the city and thereafter, had to wait for around eight hours for an ambulance to take her to RML hospital.
On reaching RML hospital on April 25, the doctors did not admit her saying they do not have dialysis facility and also pressed the patient's family to get her tested for COVID-19, the plea has claimed.
Her husband kept waiting outside RML for her treatment and she died there on April 26, the petition has also alleged.
The petition has also sought directions to the authorities to ensure that ambulances are available for non-COVID patients and no such person is denied treatment on the ground of lack of personnel or infrastructure. HMP SKV RDMRDM