Can law be made to balance rights of patients, hospitals, asks Bombay High Court
Can law be made to balance rights of patients, hospitals, asks Bombay High Court
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the state government to consider bringing in a legislation to balance rights of hospitals and doctors to earn their fees and rights of patients by protecting them from being detained in hospitals for non-payment of bills. While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the alleged practice of hospitals refusing to discharge patients for non-payment of bills, a division bench of Justice SC Dharmadhikari and Justice Bharati Dangre asked, “Can the state bring a law to balance these rights of patients with the rights of the hospital?” The petition was filed by Arun Chhabria, who was allegedly refused discharge by a suburban hospital in 2013. While Chharbria’s case was resolved, the court converted the petition to a PIL in 2014. Chhabria’s lawyer Rui Rodrigues informed the court about a draft Maharashtra Clinical Establishment Registration Act, 2014, which is at the stage of discussion.