The Hindu: Allahabad: Wednesday, October 02, 2013.
Petition
takes into consideration two reports in The Hindu; court asks questions on the
reports.
The Allahabad
High Court on Tuesday directed the Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital (KNMH) to
provide details of whether it gave free treatment to poor patients as per the
policies of the Central government and the State Government.
The Court
also sought the names and addresses of cancer patients who have been given free
treatment in the hospital in the last five years as per the National Cancer
Control Programme (NCCP) guidelines.
The KNMH is
one of the 27 Regional Cancer Centres in India and is presided over by the UPA
chairperson, Sonia Gandhi.
A Division
Bench of Acting Chief Justice Rakesh Srivastava and Justice Laxmi Kanta
Mohapatra passed the order on a Public Interest Litigation by Aam Aadmi Party
volunteer Saumya Bahadur and another respondent.
The petition
takes into consideration a June 14 report by The Hindu titled“Kamla Nehru
Hospital got excess grants, reveals RTI query”. The report noted the
Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) observations on how, despite receiving
excess grants, the hospital kept funds unutilized to rake in interest. The
report also pointed out that free and subsidised treatment was provided to
people with influence rather than to the needy. The hospital could not provide
any “clear answers” to queries put by the CAG. The report also mentioned other
cases of financial irregularities in the hospital and raised questions on its
Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) status.
The Court
also sought to know if any fund had been provided for the treatment of a
10-year-old cancer patient from Allahabad, Shivani Kesarwani, who belongs to a
family that is Below Poverty Line.
An August 6
report in The Hindu, titled “Do BPL patients get their due at cancer centres?”
narrates Shivani’s story.
Shivani’s
parents alleged that they did not receive any assistance from the hospital
despite belonging to the BPL category. Instead, the KNMH had recommended
Shivani to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science, Lucknow,
despite both hospitals being RCCs. But since her family could not afford the
new costs, they decided to continue treatment at KNMH. Since then, Shivani has
received Rs 1 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Fund.
However,
Shivani’s father Suresh Kesarwani, a gas delivery hawker, says the amount won’t
be enough but also expressed hope since the Court has taken up his daughter’s
case.
“It is costly
and difficult to find people for bone marrow transplant, so she will require
treatment all her life. We hope she is provided free treatment. Since the court
has taken up the issue, we have full faith that something positive will
happen,” he said.
Siddharth
Nandan, counsel for the petitioners, said the hospital was involved in
financial bungling and cancer patients were being deprived of benefits due to
political reasons and manipulation of government agencies.
The Court has
also sought details on the number of beds earmarked in KNMH for cancer patients
as per the NCCP.
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