'Govt hospitals to issue medical certificates after examining candidate's job requirement'

New Delhi: All government hospitals in Delhi, including the premier ones like AIIMS and Safdarjung, should issue medical fitness certificates to armed forces recruits only after examining the medical standards required for the job, the Delhi High Court has said. The court said the medical certificates should clearly state that the doctor issuing the document has examined the medical reports adverse to the candidate or patient and that he or she is aware of the requirements of medical standards for the post concerned.

It said the doctor should clearly mention the reasons for not agreeing with the findings of the previous report issued by the medical board. "The name and designation of the doctor issuing such certificate

should also be clearly disclosed in the certificate. Only if such certificates are issued, they should be placed before the court and may be relied upon by the candidates to persuade this Court to examine the matter," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar said.

The court said this direction should be communicated to the Medical Superintendents of all government hospitals in Delhi for "strict compliance". The court was hearing a petition by a candidate who was interviewed to join the Military Academy and was declared unfit after medical check up by the medical board.

The man said he was advised by various ENT specialists that his medical condition was fully curable after which he underwent a surgery at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital. He was again declared medically unfit by the appellate medical board and review medical board after which he got himself examined at AIIMS and RML Hospital. The ENT specialists at both the hospitals declared him medically fit and fully cured of the medical condition which was found by the authorities, the plea said. He made representation to the authorities for medical re-examination but did not receive any response and filed the petition in the court.

Central government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul and Lt Col Kapil Pandya, also a doctor, explained to the court the man's medical condition and said despite the surgery, if the petitioner is subjected to rigorous conditions such as in war zones, he may not be able to withstand the sound trauma generated by the firearms and ammunition. The court said it was not inclined to interfere with the rejection of the man's candidature on account of his medical unfitness.