SC refuses to cap Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the cost of medical treatment of Covid-19 patients in private hospitals should not too high and no patient should be turned away, as the access to medical care is as good as access to justice.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices R Subhash Reddy and A S Bopanna, however, refused to put a cap on the treatment of Covid-19 patients, saying cost may vary from state to state.

Hearing a PIL by Sachin Jain, the court said the cost should be reasonable. It also pointed out that the Gujarat model was most suitable and other states may follow it. However, it may not work in Maharashtra where 80% of beds have been directed to be reserved for Covid-19 patients.

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Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said a high-level panel was already looking into the matter.

"We are not inclined and not equipped to see how to treat Covid-19 patients. This matter concerns private hospitals where citizens with a certain economic status would go," the bench said.

The bench also agreed to contention by senior advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for private hospitals that it is not possible to lay down the cost of treatment across the country as conditions and availability of medical facilities determined the cost. The court also noted that underprivileged patients were entitled to free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The court allowed the parties to participate in a meeting by the Union government on July 16 where a solution can be reached within a period of a week.