Orissa High Court

Cuttack, July 20: Orissa High Court has fixed a 15-day deadline for the state government to give details on implementation of Supreme Court direction related to free treatment to poor and needy patients at private hospitals built on government land in Bhubaneswar.

The court is hearing a PIL alleging violation of Supreme Court guideline by private hospitals and nursing homes provided with government land.

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

The state government, in response to the PIL had filed an affidavit stating that 33 private hospitals and nursing homes had been provided land in Bhubaneswar. The state general administration department allotted the land between 1985 and 2013.

In his affidavit, state health and family welfare department’s principal secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra had stated that no objection certificate (NOC) were issued in favour of 12 private hospitals and six private medical colleges. Of them four private hospitals and three private medical colleges are in Bhubaneswar.

“Such NOCs are issued with the stipulation to follow the guidelines of Supreme Court for providing free treatment to the indigents and poor patients admitted in private nursing homes and hospitals,” Mohapatra said.

The court, however, had on July 4 directed the state health and family welfare department to give details on implementation of the Supreme Court order. But when the PIL came up for hearing on Friday, the state counsel sought two months time.

“The two-judge bench of Justice A.K. Rath and Justice B.R. Sarangi before which the petition came up refused to grant two months time and fixed a two week deadline for the state health and family welfare department to submit an affidavit giving details on implementation of the Supreme Court order,” petitioner counsel Kshirod Rout said today.

The PIL filed by Odia Yuva Manch president Rohan Mohanty had alleged “none of the private hospitals provided subsidised government land are providing free treatment to patients who are indigent and live below the poverty line and are also in distress”.

In his affidavit, state general administration department’s special secretary Niten Chandra said land were leased out in favour of 33 individuals/institutions in Bhubaneswar for the purpose of establishment of private hospitals/nursing homes through execution of registered lease deeds.