New Delhi, June 5 : The Supreme Court today suggested that Charitable hospitals which have come up on Government plots at concessional rates should provide free treatment to some COVID-19 patients and sought a reply from the Centre on this within a week.
A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan was hearing a petition filed by Avishek Goenka for fixing an upper limit for treatment of COVID-19 patients by Private hospitals.
Senior lawyers Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi, appearing on behalf of hospitals, submitted that an earlier judgement of the apex court had already directed hospitals who have got free land from the Government to reserve 25 per cent of beds free of cost.
The court asked the hospital Associations to file their relies within two weeks and the hearing until then.
The petition said there should be an increase in private quarantine facilities and hospitals should provide an option to the Corona infected people to avail facilities on payment basis. It said such an option was not available now.
The petition further contended that the Government should fix upper limit for treatment of such patients for similar standards of such facilities.
The petition said that there should be a time-bound settlement of medi-claim by Insurance Companies and cashless treatment facilities should be extended to all the COVID-19 patients who are covered by Insurance policies.
