Dharamshila to provide free treatment to cancer patient after High Court directive

Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed Dharamshila hospital to provide free treatment to a poor teenage cancer patient and not to discharge him till completion of the treatment. It’s important to mention that the hospital had admitted the patient only after intervention of a member of EWS beds monitoring committee.  

“The judgment of the court has provided a great relief for the family. The judge was anguished with the behaviour of the hospital on leaving the patient unattended at its gate for five days, wanting  a referral letter,” said Ahosk Agarwal, advocate, who is also a member of EWS beds monitoring committee. 

The order was passed by Justice S Muralidhar in a case of 17-year-old EWS cancer patient Soumaya Ranjan who is undergoing treatment in Dharamshila hospital.  

Delhi High Court earlier on June 3 had issued notices to ESIC, government of India, Ministry of Labour and Dharamshila Hospital on denial of free treatment to Ranjan who is suffering from Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, a form of cancer. 

Soumaya’s father, an ESIC-insured person, Basant Kumar, had filed a petition through Agarwal in the high court against ESIC for its refusal to make referral to empanelled Dharamshila hospital for treatment of his son and also against the hospital for arbitrary denial of treatment. 

The patient was referred to AIIMS by ESIC hospital on May 23 but approached Dharamshila hospital on May 25 as AIIMS could not give earlier dates. But Dharamshila, despite having EWS category beds lying vacant, did not admit the patient for five days.