The Delhi High Court today asked the government to decide soon on a plea by a Pakistani woman, whose husband is battling for life due to chronic kidney and liver failure, seeking permission to undergo surgery at a private hospital here.
The court said this after the counsel appearing for the Centre said they needed 10 days to decide on the appeal against the order of the hospital's authorisation committee which had rejected the representation of the woman to allow one of their family friends to donate liver tissues.
"You (government) cannot take 10 days time in such a matter. There is an emergency," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said, adding "this appeal has to be decided expeditiously."
When the Centre's counsel sought some time on the ground that the appeal has to be heard by a 10-member committee, the court said, "I am willing to give you time but I do not know what the God wants. Do it as soon as possible."
Karachi-based Syeda Noor Afsan had approached the court seeking a direction to the Centre to decide on the appeal and set aside the August 24 order passed by the hospital's authorisation committee.
Afsan said the condition of her 46-year-old husband Sulaiman Mohammad was critical and deteriorating and immediate transplantation surgery was needed to save his life.
She said she would donate one of her kidneys for the surgery but as per doctors, she cannot donate liver tissues which was needed for the transplant and Karachi-based Humaira Muddaser, one of her friends, was willing to donate liver tissues for the surgery on humanitarian ground.
The petitioners, Afsan and Humaira, have alleged in the plea that the hospital's authorisation committee had acted arbitrarily in rejecting their representation as it had not considered the documents presented before it.
During the hearing today, the government counsel said the petitioners could approach the authorities concerned to complete certain formalities and they would ensure that the appeal was decided as soon as possible.
The court has asked the petitioners to approach the authorities concerned today itself and posted the matter for further hearing tomorrow.
The high court had earlier asked the Health Ministry and
hospital authorities to consider the plea for permission for the organ transplant.
40-year-old Afsan had earlier told the court that her husband was diagnosed with acute chronic liver failure at a hospital in Karachi, after which she came to Delhi and doctors here had advised kidney and liver transplant for him.
"The donor and donee both are Pakistani nationals and only permissions are being sought to undergo transplant surgeries so as to save his (Sulaiman) life," her plea had said.
During earlier hearings, Afsan's counsel had said that Humaira had approached the Islamabad High Court where Human Organs Transplant Authority of Pakistan had placed the letter giving her permission to donate liver tissue to Sulaiman.
