The Delhi government’s decision to reserve Covid-19 beds in hospitals run by it solely for the residents of the capital may have been taken under pressure, but has raised serious ethical issues. How can any hospital run by any agency, Central, local or private, deny medical treatment to a patient? Doctors, after their graduation, take the Hippocrates Oath which makes it mandatory for them to provide medical treatment to those who need it. True, that over the past few years, the oath has been breached repeatedly by medical professionals, particularly working in private hospitals, where the objective is to simply make money. However, its sanctity is universally valid.
The AIIMS director, Dr Randeep Guleria, had in an interview to a TV channel on Friday stated that no person needing medical attention can ever be prevented from getting it. If this is done, it is grossly unethical. It is evident that bureaucrats who rule the roost in any government have unfortunately prevailed upon the Delhi Chief Minister and his colleagues to come out with this controversial decision. The question that is bound to arise is that who is a genuine Delhi citizen, eligible for treatment in a Delhi government-run hospital, and who is not? A vast majority of people who stay in the city, do not consider it their home — which is somewhere in some other part of the country. There are innumerable people in the NCR, whose Aadhaar Card may have a Haryana or Noida address but they have a voter ID and a driving licence from Delhi. How would they be classified? There are politicians who may have been elected from the capital but hail from elsewhere. If citizenship has to be defined by birth, a vast majority may find itself excluded. In any case, according to the admission of official sources, majority of people who seek treatment in the city’s hospitals come from outside for this purpose. Would it not be inhuman to debar them from any kind of medical facility or assistance?
The official explanation for this decision is unsatisfactory. The current pandemic has to be countered collectively. This war has to be fought at the national and state level with all stake holders playing their role. Such diktats are against the spirit of both our Constitution and democracy. What may follow may make things even more complicated. During admissions to the Delhi University, a demand may be made that only residents of the city can apply and students, forcing deserving students from other states to pursue academics in their respective regions. The Delhi CM, who was born in Haryana, was a student of IIT-Kharagpur and before being elected from New Delhi lived in adjoining Ghaziabad. His mandate to administer Delhi was renewed by the people who have complete faith in his abilities to provide fair governance. People voted for him and his party and not for the bureaucrats. This is an indefensible decision and needs to be revoked without any further delay.