The court's directions come after the Centre submitted a report stating just the number of doctors and not the ratio of the doctors and patients as sought by the court on the last day of hearing.
The Delhi High court on Thursday directed the medical superintendent of Safdarjung hospital to inform about the number of patients on the two Mondays of January 2018 along with the doctors who have attended to them, after the Centre failed to give doctor-patient ratio in government hospitals.
Terming the affidavit submitted by the Centre as "insufficient", a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar directed that a status report be filed in this regard and fixed the next date of hearing to February 1.
"Insufficient affidavit has been filed by the Union of India. We have requested to give us the actual no of doctors/patient ratio as per the variation/increase as well as in the patients/other personal ratio in the government hospitals from the date when these hospitals were constructed/taken over by the Government of India. Instead, an exercise was taken by them which does not provide the correct position of available doctors in the hospitals," the court said.
"We direct the medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital to provide us the patients load on two Monday's of January 2018 in the outpatient department and other departments. As well as the department wise doctors who have attended those patients. The report presented by Medical Superintendent should provide correct position of the Safdarjung Hospital," the bench said.
The court's directions come after the Centre submitted a report stating just the number of doctors and not the ratio of the doctors and patients as sought by the court on the last day of hearing.
"Can you say these are enough doctors? What about the status of the recruitment of doctors in the hospitals? You are filling incomplete affidavits running into multiple pages. We want a simple report in comparing a doctor patient ratio in the hospitals," the bench said.
Replying to this query, advocate Ajay Digpaul appearing for the Centre informed the court that they have started the process of recruiting the doctors.
The court expressed its concern over the less number of doctors in comparison to the population.
"Your are trying to pull the wool over our eyes," the court said after perusing the affidavit submitted by the Centre.
The bench expressed displeasure and said,, "Your reports doesn't specify the increase in the number of patients visiting the hospital and on those basis what is the strength of doctors. We want to know increasing number of doctors as per the increasing number of patients visiting the hospitals.
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