Give patients real-time info on availability of hospital beds, doctors: Delhi HC directs govt

The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi Government to ensure citizens got access to real-time information on the availability of ICU beds, doctors and specialists in emergency situations through the Health Management Information System (HMIS).

A Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora was hearing a suo motu case initiated in 2017, following incidents of violence against doctors.

The Bench said the government should consider ways to make such information available either through a web-based portal or a mobile application, so that patients, in critical situations, could directly approach the hospitals that had the necessary space and expertise.

It noted that this was particularly vital in cases where ICU patients were forced to move from one hospital to another in search of a bed.

The Delhi Government’s Health Secretary informed the court that several recommendations made in the Dr SK Sarin Committee reports had been factored into the development of the HMIS software. He assured a solution would be presented before the court soon.

The Bench directed the Director of the AIIMS to convene a meeting with relevant officials and submit a status report on the HMIS before the next date of hearing. The secretary was also asked to file a detailed report specifying the total number of modules in the HMIS, the ones already implemented across hospitals and the timeline for completing the remaining modules.

The Court emphasised that the report must state clearly whether patients calling a helpline during emergencies could be routed to hospitals where beds and appropriate medical staff were available.

The judges underlined that the objective of the HMIS, as recommended by the Sarin Committee, was to prevent patients from running “from pillar to post” during critical situations and to ensure that they were directly transported to a facility capable of providing proper treatment.

Besides, the Bench directed the UPSC to continue recruitment of radiologists and submit dossiers to the government before the next hearing. It reiterated that appointment of nursing and para-medics was “absolutely crucial” and must be completed without delay.