SC tells Delhi hospital to treat acid attack victim for free

The Supreme Court on Friday directed Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi to provide complete treatment to an acid attack survivor, “irrespective of the cost, until she is fit to be discharged”, after she alleged that the hospital had asked her to approach another facility for further treatment

The Supreme Court on Friday directed Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi to provide complete treatment to an acid attack survivor, “irrespective of the cost, until she is fit to be discharged”, after she alleged that the hospital had asked her to approach another facility for further treatment.

SC tells Delhi hospital to treat acid attack victim for free

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant took up the matter on an urgent mention by Brave Souls Foundation, an organisation working for the rehabilitation and welfare of acid attack victims.

Its head, Shaheen Malik, told the court that the woman had suffered 45% burns in an attack in Delhi’s Bhajanpura on October 6. Despite being entitled to free medical treatment under the law, she was allegedly being denied adequate care by leading private hospitals in the Capital. Malik said Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Apollo Hospital had refused treatment, citing the absence of dedicated burn wards.

The bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said, “The application raises alarming facts... We direct the management of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to keep the acid attack victim as an indoor patient and provide her all facilities, including medicines, plastic surgery and any other treatment, irrespective of the cost of such treatment.”

The application cited Section 397 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which requires all hospitals, whether public or private, to provide immediate first-aid medical treatment free of cost to acid attack victims.

The court directed the hospital to submit the bill to it and said the survivor must not be discharged until she was fit to leave the hospital and required only outpatient treatment.

The survivor’s mother told HT that her daughter had been made to move between hospitals since the attack. She said the police control room first took her daughter to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, from where she was shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital. “This has been a nightmare for both her and me. She would keep screaming in pain, but barely anyone cared,” she said.

“On Thursday afternoon, we got her discharged from GTB and took her to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Since then, every hour has been an ordeal as we struggle to get my daughter the rightful treatment she deserves,” her mother said.

GTB additional director Dr Praveen Kumar denied any lapse in treatment, saying the hospital had provided all the care the patient required. “The family wanted to seek treatment at the hospital of their choice, then they took a discharge,” he said.

Officials of Apollo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and medical superintendent Dr Sushma Jain of JPC Hospital did not respond to HT’s requests for comment until the time of going to print.

The mother alleged that Sir Ganga Ram Hospital staff asked the family on Friday night to buy medicines from outside, saying they were unavailable. After she told them she could not afford the medicines, the hospital allegedly asked the family on Saturday morning to take her daughter elsewhere.

Malik said the survivor and her family should not have had to approach multiple hospitals to secure treatment. “It is unfortunate that despite a ban on acid, it is still being sold in the national capital, leading to attacks such as this,” she said. “The appalling part is that an NGO and a team of lawyers had to intervene and approach the Supreme Court to ensure that the survivor receives treatment,” Malik added.