Thread by @Dawn172000

**Apollo - A Mafia of healthcare industry **
An important thread
• In 1994, GNCTD and IMCL signed an agreement to lease 15 acres of prime land in Delhi for the construction of Indraprastha Apollo Hospital at a nominal rate of Re. 1 per month for 30 years. 1/n

• In exchange for the land, Apollo Hospital agreed to provide free treatment to 40% of patients belonging to the EWS and reserve 33% of its IPD beds for the poor.

•However, Apollo Hospital breached its obligations under the agreement, as it failed 2/n

to allocate even 10% of its IPD beds to poor patients.

• Sh. Ashok Aggarwal (@socialjurist) a prominent lawyer filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court in 1997 impleading GNCTD and IMCL to provide free treatment to needy citizens and seeking the court direction on the issue 3/n

of the hospital allegedly denying free treatment to the poor

•The Delhi High Court, while deciding on the PIL, constituted a committee to verify the parity status of facilities being provided to the free and paid patients by the hospitals. 4/n

The committee submitted two reports, here are some key points -
1.The hospital failed to provide certain material information which had been called for by the Committee.
2.The Committee reported certain deficiencies in the arrangements and discriminatory treatment towards 5/n

Poor patients referred for free treatment.
3.The space norms, specification, and services for poor patients were of much lower standards when compared with paid patients.
4.The hospital was not complying with requirements for free treatment and was falsely categorizing some 6/n

Patients as free.
5. The area made available for poor patients was only 7.6% of the total built-up area.
6. Free patients were entitled only to general wards, each accommodating about 50 beds with common toilets, as against paid patients having provision for luxury suites, 7/n

Single rooms, double rooms, general wars, all with attached toilets.
7. The areas meant for free patients were non-air-conditioned whereas all areas for paid patients are fully air-conditioned.
8.A second report in 2009 found no improvement in facilities for free patients, 8/n

and out of a total of 38,120 number of paid indoor patients, only 939 were free indoor patients, which comes to 2.46% of the paid indoor patients, which was much smaller than the agreed ratio of 1/3rd indoor patients entitled for free treatment. 9/n

Nd out of a total of 1,29,145 number of OPD patients only 358 patients were treated free which comes to be only 0.27 of the paid outdoor patients.

In 2009, the delhi high court had ruled agnst Apollo by stating tht IMCL has flouted the conditions with impunity nd to ensure 10/n

implementation of the clauses regarding free treatment, the court issued several directions:
• Provide 1/3 of the free beds i.e. 200 beds to indoor patients and arrange for free facilities for 40% of outdoor patients.
•Patients referred to the hospital will not be required to

Pay any expenses for their treatment.
• Priority norms for identifying and classifying patients entitled to free treatment as indoor patients are as follows:
a) person below poverty line.
b) person referred by the hospital of the GNCTD.
c) class III nd IV employees of the GNCTD.

d) Any other poor or needy person on the recommendation of the secretary (Health).
• Admit emergency patients up to a total of five per day, irrespective of any referral.
• IMCL should prominently display that 40% of OPD patients are entitled to free treatment.

• Scrupulously maintain records about free treatment and paid treatment, open to inspection at all times.
• Submit quarterly reports about free treatment provided to indoor and outdoor patients.
• Records and information shall be subjected to half-yearly audit.

Challenging the order of the High court, The hospital had approached to the supreme court. Passing an interim order in the case in January 2010, the supreme court pronounced " in the meantime, the hospital should provide 200 beds but despite the high court order and a subsequent

SC Interim order, the Apollo hospital has not been providing free treatment to poor patients.
The case is sub judice and still pending in SC for past 12 years.

**The wheels of justice may turn slowly at times, but they grind exceedingly fine. However, in certain cases,

Justice delayed is justice denied. While the Supreme Court has been known to deliver swift justice in high-profile cases, there r instances where cases drag on for years, leaving those seeking justice feeling disillusioned and disenfranchised. The need for a timely and efficient

judicial system cannot be overstated, as every moment of delay can translate into real-world consequences for those seeking redress. We must strive to ensure that the justice system operates with the speed and efficacy necessary to ensure that justice is not only done but is also

Seen to be done.
•• As a law student, I understand the importance of upholding the code of the Supreme Court nd avoiding any actions that could be considered contempt of court.
I believe it's important to express oneself and seek knowledge to become a better lawyer. With that

Said, I apologize in advance for any unintended breach of conduct, but I hope to continue learning nd growing in my legal education.
This is my first Twitter thread, pls share ,retweet nd like to motivate me.
#SupremeCourtOfIndia #Pawan_Khera #delhi #Private #Hospital #Apollo