New Delhi:
The Supreme Court on Friday slammed two private hospitals and their doctors in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad for allegedly failing to provide timely treatment to a 4-year-old rape victim, leading to her death.
“You ignored her because she was poor,” a panel led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant told the hospitals.
The angry court also ordered the hospital management to “remove the word ‘doctors’ from your name” as they had failed in their duty.
The case pertains to the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Ghaziabad on March 16.
The child was allegedly lured out of the house by a neighbor on the pretext of buying chocolates.
Her family began searching for her after she did not return home. She was later found nearby unconscious and covered in blood.
“You ignored her because she was poor,” Chief Justice Surya Kant.
The desperate family took her to two private hospitals where she was allegedly denied admission.
She was then taken to Ghaziabad District Hospital where doctors declared her dead.
The father claimed that the girl was alive for two hours after she was found and that timely treatment could have saved her life.
The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) found merit in his allegations that hospitals did not provide timely care.
“You have no right to write the word ‘doctor’ next to your name if you are not performing your duties,” an angry CJI told the hospital doctors.
“If you had sensitivity, you would go to another hospital with your baby if you didn’t have the opportunity. You ignored her because she was poor. They couldn’t afford your fees,” said the Chief Justice.
As punishment, the court required hospitals to make voluntary donations to the victim’s family, warning that failure to do so would incur additional costs.
At the last hearing, the Chief Justice emphasized that “there is something that goes far beyond compensation that needs to be corrected: liability.”
The role of the police in the case has also come under scrutiny by the Supreme Court.
The girl’s family reported the matter to local police immediately after the incident, but instead of taking responsibility, they were allegedly physically assaulted.
However, following the unrest a day later, on March 17, a criminal case was opened, and on March 18, the accused was arrested.
However, the FIR did not mention either POCSO or Section 376 (punishment for rape).
In April, the Supreme Court pulled up the Ghaziabad authorities for their “indifference” and “insensitivity” to the case and summoned the police commissioner and the investigating officer with the case file.
“The most shocking part of the alleged crime is the complete indifference and insensitivity on the part of the two private hospitals as well as the local police,” the Supreme Court said on Friday.