Hospital ‘detains’ patient; HC allows compromise with warning

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru:

With a serious warning, the High Court allowed a complainant and a multi-speciality hospital to file a compromise memo. Sujay SK, a 26-year-old from Ulsoor had filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court alleging that he was illegally detained at the Olympus Multi Speciality Hospital in Rajarajeshwarinagar.

When he was presented before the division bench of Justice B Veerappa and Justice KS Hemalekha, Sujay and the hospital filed a joint memo seeking to withdraw the petition. The HC noted that it had already given directions on how private hospitals are mistreating patients and not discharging them without payment.

“This Court by the order dated September 16, 2022, passed a detailed order expressing concern about how the private hospital was running in the state, how the police department was working and how the people who approached the hospital for emergency medical requirements were mistreated,” the court recalled in a recent judgement.Without going into details, the HC allowed Sujay to withdraw his petition.

However, it warned the hospital and police department.“The petitioner is permitted to withdraw the writ petition with a warning to the petitioner, respondent No. 5 (the hospital), and the police department that whenever such an incident occurs, they should immediately notify the police, and the police, on the other hand, should act strictly and take necessary steps immediately,” the HC said.

The court also said, “The hospital authorities should provide medical treatment to a person who approaches the hospital and should concerned of the life of a person and Article 21 of the Constitution of India should not abused and the protection under Articles 21 of the Constitution of India should also not misused by any person.”