The Allahabad High Court has strongly criticized the growing tendency of private hospitals and nursing homes to treat patients as mere sources of money rather than with proper care.
Justice Prasant Kumar, while hearing a case, remarked that many medical facilities today lure patients despite lacking sufficient staff or proper infrastructure. He observed that such places often treat patients like “guinea pigs or ATM machines” with the sole aim of extracting money.
The court made these remarks while dismissing a petition filed by Dr. Ashok Kumar Rai, owner of a nursing home, who sought to stop criminal proceedings against him. The case related to the death of an unborn child after a pregnant woman was admitted for delivery and surgery, even though an anaesthetist was not available on time.
After reviewing the case, the court said it was not about the doctor’s qualifications but about whether he had taken reasonable and timely care. Although the family gave consent for surgery around noon, the operation was not carried out until late afternoon, leading to complications.
The court said this delay showed negligence on the part of the doctor and the nursing home. It further observed that while genuine medical professionals deserve protection, those running ill-equipped hospitals just to make money cannot expect such protection.