HC notice to Haryana over lack of cancer care facilities

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a notice to the Haryana Government on a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting a sharp mismatch between the rising number of cancer patients and the shortage of medical infrastructure in the state, particularly hospital beds.

The Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel fixed May 23 as the next date of hearing on the PIL filed by advocate and activist Ranjan Lakhanpal. The plea drew attention to a Tribune front-page report titled “60,000 cancer cases in 2 years, only 915 beds in Haryana Government hospitals” published on March 29.

Lakhanpal described the healthcare infrastructure as being in a “pitiable condition,” arguing that while the number of cancer patients was multiplying, the government's response remained “virtually non-existent.”

Quoting the report, the petitioner stated that while the estimated demand was for nearly 60,000 beds, only 915 had been provided by the state. This, he argued, made it “wholly impossible” to address the healthcare crisis in the foreseeable future without immediate and drastic intervention.

Citing Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, Lakhanpal contended that this right includes access to timely and adequate medical treatment. “The state cannot be a silent spectator while citizens continue to suffer due to lack of basic healthcare facilities,” he submitted.

He further asserted that the government must “leave no stone unturned to achieve the target,” warning that if left unchecked, the crisis would “continue to increase many fold.”