The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has informed the Delhi High Court that it is considering setting up a 3,000-bed Vishram Sadan at its Ansari Nagar West campus to provide accommodation for patients and their attendants who lack shelter. The proposed facility will come up on a two-acre plot and is intended to replace the existing 300-bed Vishram Sadan, which has become old and dilapidated.
Appearing for AIIMS, counsel Satya Ranjan Swain told a bench headed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia that the project will be developed with support from the Ahmedabad-based Sewadaan Aarogya Foundation. He said site surveys, planning, and statutory approvals are being carried out jointly by AIIMS and the foundation, and the project is expected to be completed within two years.
Taking note of these submissions, the High Court directed all agencies involved in the construction to fully cooperate with the AIIMS administration. The court also urged members of the Delhi High Court Bar Association to extend support towards the project. Observing that the initiative would significantly address the problem of homeless patients and attendants, the court said AIIMS could approach it for assistance if it encounters any difficulties during execution.
The submissions were made in a matter where the court had taken suo motu cognisance of the shortage and poor condition of night shelters in Delhi, following a media report on the state of a shelter near AIIMS. Earlier in the week, the High Court had directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to take over subways near major government hospitals and immediately provide beds and cold-proof tents for patients’ relatives, stating that denial of shelter amounts to a violation of fundamental rights. The directions applied to areas around AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, and Lady Hardinge Medical College.
To address the issue in the short term, the court ordered a meeting on January 15 under the chairmanship of the principal district judge (south), with participation from hospital authorities, the Delhi Police, DUSIB, and the Delhi Development Authority.
During Friday’s hearing, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma informed the court that, in compliance with its directions, all subways in the area had been taken over and 17 pagoda tents each capable of accommodating 15 to 20 people had been installed. Counsel for the Delhi Police, the New Delhi Municipal Council, and DUSIB also told the court that nodal officers had been appointed and were working round the clock to promptly address any gaps or deficiencies.