Gujarat HC restrains pvt company from charging patients in Dahod hospital

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat high court has asked Cadila Healthcare Ltd not to charge patients who come to Dahod’s General Civil Hospital for treatment.


A bench headed by acting Chief Justice AS Dave last week restrained the private company from charging any fees from patients after four residents of Dahod filed a PIL last year and complained that the hospital management had started charging the poor and urged the court to put a break on the practice.

A year after the PIL was filed, the high court passed an interim order till April 4 and said, “Meanwhile, Respondent No 4 (Cadila Healthcare Ltd) is restrained from charging any fees towards any treatment for any ailment from any patient who approaches for medical treatment.”

The PIL filed through advocate Ruturaj Meena has taken exception to privatisation of the district hospital by the state government in order to create a self-financed medical college. The petitioners have complained before the court that the private company has violated the terms of agreement of transfer of the hospital management.

The petitioners have claimed that the private management of the hospital is charging the poor patients for medical services which were given free till 2017 at the civil hospital. The company has even changed the name of the hospital in violation of its agreement with the government.

The civil hospital in the tribal district of Dahod was required to incorporate 300 beds for establishment of new medical college and the state government was to assist in this expansion. The PIL claimed that the hospital management declared that it would give free service to 300 patients only.

The petitioners submitted that in 2016-17, the civil hospital gave medical service to average 495 outdoor patients in a day. There were 2,373 major and 6,358 minor surgeries carried out in the hospital in 2017. Charging a poor patient would cause great problems for locals because Dahod is a tribal district.

The petitioners have also sought cancellation of the agreement of transfer of hospital management on the ground that the hospital does not qualify the Medical Council of India’s (MCI) criterion of having minimum 20 acre land. Moreover, to expand medical facilities, the nursing college and hostel which were situated near the hospital have now been shifted to a distance.