EWS income criteria for hospital treatment enhanced to Rs 5 lakh: Delhi HC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has taken on record submissions of the city government that it has increased the income threshold to Rs five lakh annually for those availing free treatment under EWS category at city hospitals built on concessional land. A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet P S Arora stated that the facility could be availed at all government hospitals and private hospitals built on land allotted at concessional rates. The court passed the order on January 8 following a submission by the Delhi government that the competent authority has approved the enhancement of EWS criteria from annual income of Rs 2.20 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. "All persons who wish to avail of health facilities in Delhi would now be entitled to take benefit under the EWS criteria of Rs.5,00,000/-, upon satisfying the necessary pre-conditions. The said enhancement would apply to all government hospitals across Delhi and all identified private hospitals built on land allotted at concessional rates, where the EWS norms are applicable," the court said.

The court directed the authorities to give adequate publicity to the enhancement so that citizens were made aware of the same for taking its benefit. The bench was informed that the Directorate General of Health Services passed an order on January 2 to enhance the EWS income criteria from Rs 2.20 lakh to Rs 5 lakh in compliance with the earlier directions by the court. The court was hearing a suo motu case it initiated in 2017 over the alleged lack of critical care in government hospitals here. The high court had earlier directed the AIIMS director to take over the responsibility of implementing the recommendations of the Dr S K Sarin committee which pointed out several deficiencies in the health system, including vacant posts, shortage of critical faculty members and infrastructure. Lawyer Ashok Agarwal was appointed as the amicus curiae in the case.