SC slams govt over lapses in EWS compliance at hospitals

The Supreme Court on Wednesday warned the Delhi government of contempt proceedings for failing to monitor and submit reports on whether private hospitals in the city, which received land at concessional rates, are complying with its directive to provide free treatment to patients from economically weaker sections (EWS).

- Utkarsh Anand

A bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul M Pancholi empasised that under its July 2018 judgment, the government is obligated to file periodic compliance reports showing that such hospitals are reserving 10% of inpatient (IPD) beds and 25% of outpatient (OPD) services for EWS patients.

To be sure, the 2018 ruling had made clear that any violation would amount to contempt of court and could lead to the cancellation of the hospitals’ leases.

Appearing for the Delhi government, advocate Piyush Beriwal admitted that no such compliance report had been filed since 2019.

“We will issue contempt against you. Why didn’t you file your report?” the bench said, observing that the matter directly concerns access to healthcare for “poor and vulnerable sections of society”.

The bench rebuked the government for attempting to shift the responsibility to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), noting that the duty to monitor and report compliance lies squarely with the Delhi health department.