New Delhi: The Supreme Court said Monday hospitals have become like huge real estate industries. It blamed the hospitals for moving away from serving humanity in the face of Covid-19 tragedy. The Supreme Court made the comments directing that ‘nursing homes’ running from 2-3 room flats in residential colonies which pay little attention to fire and building safety norms should be closed.
The apex court also pulled up the Gujarat government for extending the deadline till July next year for hospitals to rectify the building by-laws violations. The Supreme Court said ‘carte blanche’ notification was in teeth of its order of December 18 last year and people will continue to die in fire incidents.
“These hospitals have become like a huge real estate industry instead of serving the cause of humanity in the face of human tragedy. You (Gujarat government) have been extending the deadline, which cannot be done in view of our December 18, last year order. Hospitals are meant to provide succour to the patients in distress but instead they become money minting machines,” said a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah.
“It is better that these hospitals are closed and the state should provide necessary infrastructure. We cannot allow these hospitals and nursing homes to continue working. This is a human tragedy which is taking place,” the bench said while referring to a fire incident in Nashik, Maharashtra, where some nurses and patients were killed last year.
The top court indicated that the Gujarat government will have to withdraw the notification, saying it appears to be in the teeth of its last year’s order and sought explanation on issuance of the notification within a week.
It said that once a direction has been issued by the top court, ‘it cannot be overridden by an executive order and now you (Gujarat government) have issued a carte blanche saying the hospitals don’t have to adhere to rectifying the violations till July, 2022’, and people will continue dying and getting burnt till then.
Also read: 13 COVID-19 patients die in Maharashtra hospital fire
The Supreme Court also took exception to the report filed in a sealed cover by a commission on the issue of fire safety in hospitals saying that ‘it is not a nuclear secret but just a report. Why in a sealed cover’.
The top court listed the suo motu case on proper treatment of Covid-19 patients after two weeks.
The top court had directed December 18 last year that all the states will have to constitute a committee in each district to conduct fire audit of Covid-19 hospitals at least once a month, inform the management of medical establishments about any deficiency and report to the government for taking follow up action.
It had said that Covid-19 hospitals, which have not obtained No Objection Certificate from the concerned fire department, should be asked to immediately apply for NOC and after carrying necessary inspection a decision shall be taken in this regard.
“Those Covid hospitals who have not renewed their NOC should immediately take steps for renewal on which appropriate inspection is taken and decisions be taken. In event, Covid hospital is found not having NOC or not having obtained renewal, appropriate action be taken by the state,” it had said.
