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The Supreme Court, referring to the earlier reports regarding the hospital, said “If people belonging to the economically weaker sections of the society do not get free treatment at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, we will ask AIIMS to Azadpur for it and in the meantime directed the Centre and Delhi government to form a committee of officers to verify its documents.
As per a report from The Times of India, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the apex court has directed the government to look into the Apollo Hospital’s record over the past five years to determine whether the hospital honor its obligations and provide free treatment for 30 percent of indoor and 40 percent of outdoor patients as promised in the 1994 lease agreement.
Having noted the violation of the lease contract, Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh Justices of the Supreme Court Indraprastha Medical Corporation Limited was supposed to soread the free medical and other facilities to the economically weaker sections of the society had brought them in without any differentiation.
The bench said, and if it transpires that those people actually do not get free treatment, we will give the hospital over to AIIMS.” said PTI.
It was heard by the court regarding the plea of IMCL relating to its case against the order made by the Delhi High court on September 22, 2009, in which the hospital administration was claimed to have blatantly disregarded the stipulation in the agreement to offer free services to indoor and outdoor < patients.
The bench noticed that the Apollo Group built the hospital, on a 15 acre ground in a prime location in Delhi, which was given to them on nominal lease of Rupee 1, was supposed to be operated on the 'no profit and no loss' formula, but has rather transformed into a completely business driven institution which does not treat poor persons.
The Counsel IMCL was representing claimed that the hospital was operated as a joint venture and the Government of NCT of Delhi, having a shareholding of 26 percent, was equally benefitted with the revenue earnings.
The most shocking thing of all, as noted by counsel Justice Surya Kant, was if the Delhi government profited from the hospital instead of offering medical assistance to the ailing patients.
S D Anand, the additional solicitor general, informed the bench that Apollo Hospital’s leased land was over thirty years and subsequent to the expiration, so the bench instructed the central government and the Delhi government to form an expert panel to study hospital records for the past five years to determine if the lease agreement conditions have been fulfilled.
The bench ramps reported by PTI noted the extent of land that the hospital was granted came with a 30 year lease which is due to expire in 2023 and consequently, was granted the request of the central government and the Delhi government to verify if the lease agreement was indeed extended.
The bench posed the question as to what legal action has been taken concerning the parcel of land in the event that the lease agreement is not renewed.
Additionally, the bench inquired as to the current total capacity of the hospital in terms of the number of beds available there and requested the number of patients for outpatient services over the duration of five years.
The bench stated, 'The affidavits will also clarify how many patients that were referred over the last five years were actually treated for free.' As reported by PTI, the bench said the hospital management must assist the inspection team and furnish all relevant documents as required by the supervisory body.
The supreme court has also allowed the hospital management to submit an affidavit if they wish to and advanced the date of the hearing to four weeks from now.
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