Delhi High Court has asked the Centre and the city government whether various maternal health and child development schemes are being properly implemented, in the wake of death of a woman and her new-born baby allegedly after not being given necessary medical care.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to the central and Delhi governments, directing them to indicate on affidavit how the schemes are being implemented in the hospitals under their jurisdiction.
It also directed them to "highlight" the "gaps" in the working of the various schemes -- Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) -- and reasons for it.
The court also issued notice to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital and Guru Gobind Singh Hospital (GGSH) and sought their responses on whether these schemes are being fully complied with.
The court passed the order on a plea filed by the mother-in-law of the deceased woman, Tabassum, who allegedly died on account of not being given necessary health care by the concerned authorities.
"As a matter of fact, the baby delivered by late Tabassum also died because of lack of necessary medical care," the court noted in its order.
Tabassum has left behind a five-year-old son and her new-born baby had died in DDU hospital in February.
The petition has sought that Rs 12 lakh compensation be deposited in the name of Tabassum's son for violations of his mother's fundamental rights and to ensure his education and health.
In its order, the court has also directed the authorities to "deal with the system of referral obtaining in government hospitals whereby patients, it appears (as in this case), are made to travel from one hospital to another to get requisite medical care."
It also directed DDU hospital to bring Tabassum's medical papers as they "dilate upon the cause of her demise" and listed the matter for hearing on August 31.
