Telangana told to file counter on regulating pvt health sector

Hyderabad: The High Court at Hyderabad on Monday directed the Telangana State government to file its counter affidavit in the public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed seeking greater governmental regulation of private health sector and strengthening of public health system in the state.

The division bench comprising Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice T Rajini gave this direction while hearing the PIL filed by Narender Kazipeta, a journalist and brother of K Suneetha who died allegedly due to medical negligence in a major private corporate hospital.

The petitioner had cited such instances of negligence, greed for profit leading to unethical practice and had arraigned Care Hospitals, Global Hospitals and Apollo Hospitals as respondents. While Apollo Hospitals has filed counter affidavit, the counsels for the other two hospitals sought one week time to file their counter affidavits.

The counsel for the petitioner complained against both the State governments’ negligent attitude in not filing their counter affidavits despite nearly a year after filing of this case. He, however, informed the bench that after the admission of this case by the court, there have been some positive steps in terms of release of funds for certain government hospitals and taking of action by the State Medical Council against errant doctors.

He wanted urgent and regular hearings of this case, so that the millions of people suffering at the hands of the unscrupulous corporate hospitals would find relief with the intervention of the court.
The bench adjourned the case by two weeks and directed the respondents to file their counter affidavits.