A NARAYANAN Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS Writ Petition in public interest, has been preferred by the petitioner-in-person to direct the respondent to discontinue the system of pay wards in the Government Hospitals at Chennai.

(2.) THE petitioner is the Managing Director of a firm, manufacturing scientific instruments used for research and development. He claims to be the Founder Trustee and Convenor of one or other non-government organisation for the benefit of public in general.

(3.) IN the Writ Petition, certain data are not supported by any evidence. According to the petitioner, more than 34% of our population is below-poverty-line (BPL) who are suffering from deprivation and the Central Government has still managed to provide a budget of Rs.96,000 crores in the current financial year for Defence; but only a sum of Rs.15,000 crores for Health. As per the Website of the Tamil Nadu Government, the total number of beds in the Government Hospitals put together is 21,285. If approximate population of the State is taken as 6.2 crores, 3.4% beds are available for 10,000 population. It was submitted that the poor will suffer and marginalised will be left to the mercy of private medical practitioners and private hospitals, whose motive is commerce first and service the least/last.