The Bombay High Court (HC) has ordered the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to provide free medical care at its new 100-bed hospital opened in Kausa-Mumbra. The order came on Monday, January 29, and applies to the underprivileged and anyone living within the corporation's jurisdiction. The unprivileged are categorised as those without yellow and orange ration cards.
Despite the court's order, the court did not challenge the state government's decision to operate the hospital through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The bench, comprising chief justice Devendra K. Upadhyay and justice Arif S. Doctor, emphasised that the PPP model should not obstruct the government's pledge to provide free medical care.
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights had earlier filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition. The decision was made during the hearing in this case. The association advocates for accessible healthcare facilities for Kausa residents.
The Kausa hospital was greenlit in 2008. But it stopped operations due to financial constraints. This led to the adoption of a public-private partnership model.
The petitioner pointed out discrepancies in the resolution's eligibility criteria for free medical services. The corporation's interpretation of the resolution is that only those with certain ration cards are exempt from charges.
After hearing both sides, the court referred to a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The report revealed that a huge part of the Kausa-Mumbra population belongs to economically disadvantaged groups. The court ordered the corporation to adhere to its resolution, emphasising that a lack of basic healthcare services can lead to further marginalisation.
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