LI Network
Published on: March 30, 2022 at 13:42 IST
The Supreme Court emphasized on Tuesday that basic health care and proper education are two primary functions that every state is obligated to provide to its citizens, while asking the Uttar Pradesh Government to ensure that all 75 district hospitals in the State have the bare minimum number of qualified doctors.
A Court led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed that at least half of the sanctioned positions at district hospitals remain unfilled.
“We must underscore that providing basic health facilities and education are the primary responsibility of any state, and we anticipate that the State of Uttar Pradesh would take necessary actions now that the elections are finished,” the Bench, which also included Judges MM Sundresh, noted in its ruling.
The Court found that just 1,881 of the 3,620 vacancies advertised by the State Government for doctors in 2021 were filled.
“This leaves the State with less than 1,800 vacancies.” “Some doctors may have retired in the recent year,” the Court stated, citing a severe scarcity of general practitioners, gynaecologists, paediatricians, and anaesthetists.
While requesting a status report in four weeks, the Court observed that a doctor scarcity affects most States in the Country.
The State, for its part, admitted in its affidavit submitted via counsel Ajay Vikram Singh that the state government was unable to recruit a sufficient number of specialist physicians due to a variety of factors, including rural posting and compensation packages that were higher at private institutions.
The Court was hearing a Bail hearing in a murder Case in which an injured lady died at Sambhal’s district hospital due to a lack of a surgeon.
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