80-year-old Covid patient who moved Delhi HC for free treatment dies before hearing date

The Delhi High Court was due to hear the octogenarian's petition seeking admission to a government hospital with ventilator facilities and free treatment.

(Representational image) Suspected Covid-19 patients arrive at a government hospital for tests in New Delhi | Photo: Kamal Kishore | PTI

New Delhi: An 80-year-old coronavirus patient, who had approached the Delhi High Court seeking free treatment at a government hospital, died two days before the court was due to hear the petition.

The court was Friday scheduled to hear the plea, which was filed by Motiram Goyal as a last ditch attempt for treatment at a government hospital with ventilator facilities.

However, the petitioner passed away on 3 June, the same day he approached the court.

His lawyer, R.P.S. Bhatti told ThePrint that Goyal was admitted to Jain Hospital in Delhi on 25 May after he developed a fever. The plea alleged that Goyal contracted the infection in the hospital “due to negligence of staff of said hospital”. He was tested for Covid-19 on 30 May, results of which came back as positive on 1 June.

“The condition of the petitioner soon deteriorated, leading to the requirement of a ventilator,” the plea stated.

Goyal was put on a ventilator. However, according to the petition, the hospital allegedly began pressuring Goyal’s son to shift him to another hospital on the grounds that it wasn’t equipped to treat Covid-19 patients.

Goyal’s son apparently approached several hospitals, including Rajiv Gandhi hospital, AIIMS, Max hospital at Patparganj and Apollo hospital, but was allegedly refused admission owing to lack of beds.

The plea also claimed that Jain Hospital had been charging the patient “exorbitant rates” for treatment.

Goyal, through his son, then sought free treatment at a hospital with ventilator facilities.

In his plea, he asked the authorities to “immediately arrange to accommodate the petitioner in a government hospital with ventilator facility to provide free medical treatment to him under the scheme of BPL (below poverty line)”.

Goyal’s lawyer Bhatti told ThePrint that during the hearing before Justice Navin Chawla, he informed the court that the patient had passed away and requested that such medical emergency cases should be heard and disposed of the same day.