Delhi govt looks at raising income limits on free healthcare

As per the proposal, the income limit will be raised from the current ₹2.2 lakh to ₹5 lakh per annum.

The Delhi government is considering the proposal for increasing the income limit of families from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) for free treatments in private hospitals, government officials told the Delhi High Court on Friday.

The court, on August 29, decided to examine the issue of revising the threshold after advocate Ashok Agarwal suggested a review. (Photo for representation)

As per the proposal, the income limit will be raised from the current ₹2.2 lakh to ₹5 lakh per annum.

The Delhi government, represented by standing counsel Sameer Vashisth, submitted before a bench of justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet PS Arora that a special committee has been appointed for examining the proposal and thereby urged the court to grant additional time to take a call on the matter.

Considering the contentions, the court fixed December 17 as the next date of hearing in a petition in which it had taken suo motu cognisance of the shortage of ICU beds in Delhi government hospitals.

“Mr Sameer Vashisht says that proposal is pending approval with the GNCTD and the matter is being considered at the highest level. Considering the fact...list it for December 17,” the bench said in the order.

The court, on August 29, decided to examine the issue of revising the threshold after advocate Ashok Agarwal suggested a review.

The suggestion came while the court was considering the case of a 12-year-old child who was struggling between rising medical bills at a private hospital and the lack of support from government hospitals despite repeated attempts to seek help.

Agarwal had referred to a previous March 2024 judgment by the high court directing the Delhi government to increase the income limit for EWS reservation in school admissions from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh per annum. He further pointed out that many private hospitals fail to provide medical facilities to EWS patients despite being legally obligated to do so.

He had also pointed out that although the high court had set up a monitoring committee in March 2007 to oversee the treatment of EWS patients in private hospitals, it had not been functioning effectively. Agarwal subsequently argued that the committee should be reconstituted to ensure proper supervision of the EWS facilities by private hospitals.

During Friday’s hearing, Vashisht further explained that the monitoring committee continues to exist but regular meetings could not be held previously due to unavoidable circumstances such as the Covid-19 pandemic, transfer of officials, and staff shortages. He assured that meetings will now be held once every quarter to ensure regular monitoring of admissions of EWS patients in private hospitals.

The government’s stand regarding the monitoring committee comes days after the Supreme Court warned it of contempt proceedings for failing to monitor and submit reports on whether private hospitals in the city which received land at concessional rates are complying with the directive to provide free treatment to EWS patients.

On Wednesday, a bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul M Pancholi emphasised that under its 2018 judgement, the government is obligated to file periodic compliance reports showing that such hospitals are reserving 10% of in-patient (IPD) beds and 25% of out-patient (OPD) services for EWS patients.