Hyderabad: Extend medical aid to all emergency cases in hospitals, High Court directs government

Hyderabad: The High Court Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy took up hearing on a Taken Up PIL on Monday through video conference.

It was a letter addressed by Advocate K. Kishore Kumar in which he brought to light the tragic death of a pregnant woman named Genila from Aiza Mandal of Jogulamba Gadwal District, Telangana.

The victim Genila was denied medical aid by the doctors in Gadwal, fearing she had symptoms of Covid-19 and assuming that the lady was a corona patient.

Genila was asked to go to Hyderabad to get tested for Covid-19 and this forced the pregnant woman to travel 220 kms to reach Hyderabad and ultimately both she and the newborn baby died.

The Division Bench directed the State Government to issue a circular to all the government hospitals in Telangana State directing them to extend medical aid to all those patients who approach the hospitals in dire emergency circumstances other than Covid-19.

CJ Raghavendra Singh Chauhan opined that why is the State Government not considering to issue a Circular to all the hospitals in the state directing them to extend medical aid to all the patients who come to hospitals in emergency circumstances during this lockdown, apart from Covid-19 patients.

The pregnant lady Genila (22) was made to run from pillar to post leading to her untimely death along with the unborn child. Chief Justice further said that there is no more dire emergency than a woman who is about to deliver a child and she is asked to travel 220 kms by road.

CJ Chauhan pointed out that this looks like a clear case of medical negligence, wondering, what kind of doctors we have in the State, who don't even know how to deal with a pregnant woman. At the most, a complicated pregnancy can be solved through a Caesarean, Chauhan said.

Justice B. Viiaysen Reddy advised the Telangana Government to seriously think of placing sufficient number of ambulances in different parts of the city and State, affixing the telephone/cell numbers on them facilitating patients in an emergency to avail this facility, rather than facing onerous situations.

Ambulances should be directed to shift the patients in an emergency to the nearest hospital for treatment.

Advocate General B.S. Prasad informed that the State's health department officials hospitals are making all-out efforts in all the government hospitals, to ensure that patients in emergency, other than Covid-19 are being extended proper medical aid and sought time to file a detailed reply.

The bench directed the state government to file a comprehensive report on the incident and adjourned the case to May 20.