The Hindu : New Delhi News : Set up grievance cells, Govt. hospitals told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 27, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Set up grievance cells, Govt. hospitals told

Staff Reporter

Delhi High Court issues series of directives for improving the availability of medical facilities

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has issued a series of directives, including establishment of grievance committees and grievance cells, for improving the availability of medical facilities and hygiene conditions in government hospitals here.

A Division Bench comprising Justice B.A. Khan and Justice Madan B. Lokur directed the Secretaries of the Ministries of Health of the Union Government and the Delhi Government to constitute redressal committees at the Central and the State levels which would receive complaints from patients and people in general, examine them and suggest measures to the hospitals authorities, and the latter shall take necessary steps for their redressal.

The Bench further directed these hospitals, including All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), to set up grievance cells for receiving complaints.

The grievance cells would have the option of reporting the grievances to the central grievance committee or to the hospital authorities concerned, which shall take cognisance of them and take steps for their redressal, the order said.

The Bench directed the Union and the Delhi Health Secretaries and the Directors-General of Health Services of the two Governments to publicise the constitution, locations of the redressal committees as well as the mechanism of receiving the complaints.

The AIIMS was also directed to set up a similar committee and publicise its constitution, time and the authority for receiving public grievances/complaints, the order stated.

On entry of attendants of indoor patients, the Bench directed the Medical Superintendents of all government hospitals and the AIIMS Director to stop public entry to the hospitals' wards forthwith, except for one attendant per patient.

The Bench directed the hospitals to improve the sanitary condition and change their dirty linen in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the wards whenever required.

Besides, the Bench directed the Union Health Secretary to constitute within two weeks a committee of experts drawn from government hospitals, AIIMS, the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) or any other professional body and select government functionaries to survey the prevailing conditions in these hospitals and indicate their reasons and suggest remedial measures and the mode of their implementation.

The Committee shall within three months submit a report to the Union Health Secretary, who shall take steps for implementation of the recommendations, the order said. The Union Health Secretary would also provide all secretarial facilities to the committee.

The High Court directions came on an appeal by DMA.

Posting the matter on October 18, the Bench directed all the authorities, which received the directions to file status reports showing the compliance and enforcement of the directions on that date.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi