Mumbai: Bombay high court on Thursday sought a status update and probable timeline in two weeks from state govt over its March 18 decision to expand a district hospital from 100 to 300 beds in the tribal belt of Dharni in Melghat region of Amravati district.
“We find the vexed question dealt with by this court for the last two decades is over extending medical facilities in Melghat region,” said a division bench of Justices R V Ghuge and Abhay Mantri. Expressing anguish at the unabated death of tribal children in Melghat and Dharni, the bench added: “Babies are dying. They are dying for want of food and crucial medical attention… their ribs and bones can be seen.”
Jugalkishor Gilda, counsel for the petitioners, said the state is spending thousands of crores for the Laadki Bahin scheme for those ‘sitting at home’, while babies and adults are dying due to malnutrition.
He informed the high court that “not one brick has yet been laid for the 300-bed hospital”.
The bench said the fact that child and maternal deaths continue even 25 years after HC orders “speaks louder than words”. “It is a tragedy that this court has to hear submissions on deaths occurring due to malnutrition, lack of medication and nutrition, lack of appropriate medical support to malnourished patients, pregnant women and lactating mothers,” said Justice Ghuge, while dictating the order in the second round of the public interest litigation (PIL) that began in 2007 to tackle the malnutrition death crisis in Melghat and other tribal areas of Amravati.
The HC said the PIL has highlighted Melghat in the first batch of petitions too since 1993.
Gilda said the state earlier too, decades ago, made declarations to expand its hospitals in tribal areas. The HC said, “Files moved slowly from department to department, approvals sought were stuck, lack of funds is a major issue with govt.”
