Fleecing by hospitals: HC seeks info from Tamil Nadu govt on plaints

A division bench of Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice R Suresh Kumar of the Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government to furnish details of complaints received by it while impleading the Centre as respondent.

Chennai: The Madras High Court, which took note of huge sums charged by hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, directed the Tamil Nadu government to furnish details of complaints received by it while impleading the Centre as respondent.

A division bench of Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice R Suresh Kumar issued the directive based on a public interest litigation (PIL) from Jimraj Milton, an advocate.

The bench said the cases of overcharging in private hospitals has come to thenotice of the court through media reports.

Based on them, the judges said judicial cognizance can be taken by this court and also several allied issues on management and treatment of coronavirus.

The bench impleaded the central government as respondent and ordered both the Centre and the state to file the counter regarding the treatment and management of the disease in private and government hospitals.

"The state and the Centre shall also give details on the aspects of the cost to be borne for such treatment in private hospitals, providing of caps on charges, if any..," the bench said. Milton challenged the government order permitting private hospitals to collect fee for the virus treatment.

"Both the Epidemic Act and the Disaster Management Act say it is the duty of the state to provide proper treatment during the pandemic," he said.

The patients must be given free treatment in the nearest available hospital and the state must reimburse the hospital bills, the petitioner contended.

The Acts even empower the state to take control of the management of the private hospitals during a pandemic, he said. Responding to the submissions, government pleader V Jayaprakash Narayan said he would file a detailed counter to the plea and sought two weeks time.

Refusing to grant such time, the bench said every case of COVID-19 is emergency matter and directed the state to file the counter by June 16.

The bench did not accept Narayan's submissions that all the information are already in the public domain and said it has been seeing news reports of lack of adequate beds in hospitals to treat the virus-infected. (PTI)