New Delhi : Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandarchud said that the present state of patient-doctor violent conflict in the country often stem from the inadequacy of health facilities in the country, spiraling treatment costs and dehumanization of healthcare that shakes the citizens foundational belief that doctors are infallible service providers.
The CJI was delivering the 19th Sir Ganga Ram Oration on ‘A Prescription for Justice : Quest for fairness and equity in healthcare’. Justice Chandrachud said, ‘ De-humanisation of healthcare has often resulted in violent confrontations between the citizens and hospitals, with medical professionals being caught in the crossfire. This puts the lives of medical professionals at risk, and creates a hostile environment for them to work in. This violence ends up hampering the delivery of medical services, which can have serious consequences for patients.’
He narrated the humble beginning of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with a 50-bed facility in the 1950s to become a 600 bed hospital with facilities for free treatment to poor patients and said the continuing inequalities in access to health system dents the two cardinal principles governing equity and justice in healthcare. ‘ We as a society need to counteract structural and policy constraints which prevent access to good-quality healthcare in order to achieve healthcare justice,’ the CJI said.
He said doctors are often called upon as expert medical witnesses in criminal trials and spend a considerable time awaiting their turn in the crowded trial courts hampering their professional duties.