Mahabubabad hospital under scanner after mortuary incident
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of an incident in which a patient was allegedly denied treatment for failing to produce an Aadhaar card and was later shifted to a mortuary despite showing signs of life at a government hospital in Mahabubabad district.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Ghouse Meera Mohiuddin on Thursday issued notices to the Chief Secretary, the Principal Secretary of Medical and Family Welfare, the Director of Medical Education, the Mahabubabad district collector and the superintendent of the civil hospital, seeking an explanation over the alleged lapse.
PIL based on advocate’s letter
The bench acted on a letter addressed to the Chief Justice by advocate Bathini Komuraiah, alleging gross medical negligence and violation of fundamental rights.
Appearing in person, the advocate told the court that denial of emergency medical care on procedural grounds amounted to a serious constitutional violation. He described the conduct of hospital staff as “lethargic and inhuman”.
The court converted the letter into a writ petition and posted the matter for further hearing.
Patient allegedly left unattended for three days
According to the complaint, V Ravi, a resident of Jayyaram village and a chronic kidney patient, was left unattended in a hospital corridor for nearly three days.
Hospital authorities allegedly refused to admit him as he had no attendant and could not produce identification documents, including an Aadhaar card.
The complaint stated that Ravi later collapsed in the hospital canteen corridor. Staff allegedly presumed him dead and shifted him to the mortuary without proper medical verification.
In a subsequent development, a member of the hospital’s sweeping staff noticed signs of life and alerted the police. Ravi was then rescued from the mortuary and provided medical treatment.
The incident has raised concerns over emergency response protocols and accountability in public healthcare institutions.
Court seeks counter within three weeks
During the hearing, the bench observed that denial of basic medical assistance on administrative or documentary grounds amounts to a direct violation of the constitutional right to life and health.
The court directed the state authorities to file a detailed counter affidavit within three weeks, explaining the circumstances that led to the incident and the measures proposed to prevent a recurrence.
The matter will be taken up after the counter is filed.
