Delhi High Court orders govt for info after newborn dies

A day after the death of a newborn girl child due to unavailability of beds at three major hospitals in the city, the Delhi High Court issued an order to the Health Department and Delhi government to make available the information regarding bed occupancy and other medical facilities online.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari also took note of a report highlighting difficulties faced by patients on the facilities available in the hospitals.

"Perhaps if this information was readily available to the family of the newborn, the life of the child may have been saved.

"Given the availability of websites and internet connectivity, it would appear justified if all information in this regard especially the position of bed occupancy at a particular point of time is made available to the public at large especially, patients and their attendants, to obviate distress to them and also to ensure availability of the best medical assistance at the earliest," the bench said.

Activists lauded the bench's decision stating that the newborn's born was a violation of basic rights under the Constitution

"This is a clear violation of the Article 21 — Right to Life. If this is the case in Delhi, then imagine what people are facing outside. Infant mortality is anyway an issue in India," said Advocate and social activist Ashok Aggarwal.