Cuttack, July 7: The state government has provided land for 33 private hospitals and nursing homes in Bhubaneswar. But in five cases, the land is being used for other purposes.

Government documents submitted in Orissa High Court indicate that the allotted land in the five cases is being used for “commercial purpose” or “residential purpose” or “partly for commercial purpose and partly for residential purpose”.

“The division bench of Justice A.K. Rath and Justice B.R. Sarangi on Friday directed the state health and family welfare department to file an affidavit giving details on implementation of the Supreme Court direction by the private hospitals and nursing homes,” petitioner counsel Kshirod Rout said today.

Odia Yuva Manch president Rohan Mohanty had filed the PIL alleging “inaction of the state government in issuing notification for providing free treatment to indigent patients by the private hospitals and nursing homes”. Mohanty sought appropriate legal action against private hospitals and nursing homes violating the Supreme Court direction related to providing free treatment to poor and indigent persons.

In another case, in one of the allotted land, a person is running a nursing home on hire basis. The state general administration department allotted the plots between 1985 and 1987. In three other cases, the allotted land has remained unutilised.

The health and family welfare department’s principal secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra filed the affidavit in response to a PIL.

In his affidavit filed on June 4, Mohapatra said the state health and family welfare department has issued no-objection certificate in favour of 12 private hospitals and six private medical colleges. Of them, four hospitals and three colleges are in Bhubaneswar.

Such no objection certificates are issued with the stipulation to follow the Supreme Court guidelines for providing free treatment to poor patients, the affidavit said.

According to the petitioner, the Supreme Court in September 2011 directed all the private hospitals built on subsidised government land to reserve 25 per cent of their out patient department capacity and 10 per cent of beds at the indoor level for free treatment of the poor.

In his affidavit, the general administration department’s special secretary Niten Chandra said lands had been leased out in favour of 33 individuals and organisations to establish private hospitals and nursing homes through execution of registered lease deeds.

Mohapatra further said: “The State Treatment Funds Society was formed on May 31, 2013 to provide financial assistance to poor people for treatment of their major ailments and life threatening diseases. The private nursing hospitals functioning within the state and outside have been empanelled for the purpose.”