Publicise health schemes: Madras High Court
As an illustration, in Salem government hospital, eight babies were state to have died in a week.
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-08-04 04:41 GMT
Chennai: Expressing satisfaction with the steps taken by the state government to provide healthcare, the Madras high court has directed the authorities to widely publicise the various health schemes for the benefit of the public. A Division bench comprising the Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T. S. Sivagnanam treated as closed a PIL from R. Janakiraman, which among other things, sought a direction to the state government to fill vacancies in the posts of doctors and nurses in all government maternity hospitals and primary health centres in the state.
The Bench said the present PIL arose out of a concern expressed by the petitioner due to lack of adequate medical facilities for infants, as between November 14 and 18, 2014, six infants died at Dharmapuri medical college hospital. Another five infants stated to have been kept in incubators, also died.
As an illustration, in Salem government hospital, eight babies were state to have died in a week. These aspects received wide publicity in papers, but the official stand was that the babies were under-weight and the mothers were at a very young age, the Bench added.
The court said the state government had filed a counter stating that all requisite facilities were available in Dharmapuri medical college hospital.
As far as the deaths in question were concerned, it was stated that they were were neo-natal deaths, which were not caused due to medical negligence, as stated in the media, as no essential facilities were lacking. Both hard and soft infrastructure were available.
ASSURANCE ON EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY: The Bench said, “We may note that almost each case has been separately dealt with in the affidavit giving the details of what assistance were provided. Suffice to say there is categorical assertion about the availability of equipment and the state government is stated to be providing annually Rs 7,000 crore in the budget towards various health development activities.” Vacancies were to be filled shortly.