New Delhi: The Supreme Court has delivered a scathing indictment of private hospitals and doctors over the death of a four-year-old rape survivor in Ghaziabad after she was allegedly denied emergency treatment because her family could not afford the fees. A Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that the child's death resulted from the refusal of private hospitals to provide timely medical care and said those unwilling to discharge their professional responsibilities did not deserve to use the title "doctor."
The court directed the hospitals concerned to pay compensation to the victim's family and warned that failure to comply would attract a substantially higher financial penalty.
The incident occurred on March 16, when the child was allegedly abducted and brutally sexually assaulted by a neighbour in Ghaziabad. She was taken to two private hospitals, both of which allegedly refused treatment. By the time she was shifted to the district hospital, she had died.
An inquiry committee appointed by the Supreme Court concluded that the girl's life could have been saved had she received prompt medical treatment.
The court also found serious lapses on the part of the police. It observed that the victim's family was assaulted when they approached the police to file a complaint and criticised investigators for initially failing to invoke stringent provisions, including those under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, describing the omissions as evidence of grave negligence.