Noting that there should be an effective mechanism for enabling the poor patients avail of benefits of the Poor Patient Welfare Fund, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the PGIMER, Chandigarh to file an affidavit in this regard. The affidavit has been sought by a bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal, while it was hearing a plea filed by the attendant of a patient, who is undergoing treatment at the PGIMER. The petition, filed by Divya Sharma, said that patient, Ravinder Kumar, who has undergone cardio vascular surgery at PGIMER, Chandigarh has been implanted Automated Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD), which runs on battery. Sharma told the high court that the battery of the device is running out and the plea raised by the patient for grant of funds for the purchase of battery, out of the Poor Patient Welfare Funds, PGIMER, has “fallen on deaf ears”, and that the patient has no financial resources to afford the battery, which costs more than Rs 3 lakh. Responding to the plea, Satya Pal Jain, Additional Solicitor General of India, during the proceedings volunteered in the matter, and further informed the court that after getting in touch with the PGIMER director, the patient has been provided assistance from Poor Patient Welfare Fund and the process for change of battery of AICD implanted in the heart of the patient, is underway. The bench meanwhile noted: “the larger issue, which crops up in this case, is that there should be proper and effective mechanism at the level of patients and doctors for enabling the poor patients to avail of the benefits under the Poor Patient Welfare Fund, available with the PGIMER, Chandigarh.” “Let an affidavit in that regard be filed by the PGIMER, Chandigarh,” the bench ordered as it adjourned the hearing of the case for January 17.
