Hepatitis case: Notice to Stanley hospital

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice MM Sundresh, taking strong exception to the reversal of commitment, summoned the particular health official who had made the decision of not honouring the commitment given to the court. 

The case has its source in 2014, when Jayaram Venkatesan of Mylapore had filed a petition saying 16 kidney failure patients, who had been undergoing periodical dialysis at Stanley Hospital, contracted hepatitis C at the government facility. Enclosing the list of 16 patients, the PIL said an internal inquiry admitted that the 16 patients contracted the infection at the hospital, but curiously exonerated the hospital authorities of negligence. 

He had sought payment of compensation to patients of medical negligence and recall records of all dialysis patients from March 1, 2014 and screen them for infection. 

Through the course of hearing, the government pleader submitted on September 21, 2015, that the compensation of Rs 3 lakh has been disbursed and further Rs 2 lakh per head has been sanctioned, which would be shortly disbursed. The court through its order on September 29, 2015, had recorded the same. 

However, when the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, the first bench on getting to know about the reversal of the commitment said, “The person taking a decision not to honour the commitment made in the court should personally remain present in the court on the next date of hearing.” The case has been listed for further hearing to April 27.