'Implemntation of 2017 Palliative care guidelines': Supreme Court seeks Centre's reply in three weeks

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted three weeks additional time to the Centre to apprise it about the implementation of 2017 guidelines on palliative care issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought the Centre's reply to a petition seeking a direction to authorities to provide palliative care to terminally ill persons as part of the national health programme.

The court asked the Centre's counsel to obtain instructions with regard to the implementation of these guidelines not only by the Union but also after collating the respective data from the respective states and apprise this court of the status.

The court said that once the Centre informed it about the implementation of 2017 guidelines on palliative care issue, then it would hear the matter.

The court scheduled the matter for further hearing on November 25.

Palliative care is specialised medical care for people suffering from serious ailments and health conditions of terminal nature.

Senior Advocate Jayna Kothari, appeared for the petitioner Dr Rajshree Nagaraju.

The PIL sought palliative care for all persons in India, giving effect to their right to health and the right to a dignified end to life which is protected and guaranteed under the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The petitioner highlighted that the majority of adults and children who are in need of palliative care have chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (38.5 per cent), cancer (34 per cent), chronic respiratory diseases (10.3 per cent), AIDS (5.7 per cent) and diabetes (4.6 per cent).

"Many other conditions may require palliative care, including kidney failure, chronic liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disease, dementia, congenital anomalies and drug-resistant tuberculosis," the plea said.

The petitioner further argued that in India, especially in rural areas, most people in need of palliative care are at home and cannot easily travel beyond their communities, also, most people prefer to die at home. Therefore, it is important that palliative care be accessible in the community and in patients homes, the plea said.