Jaipur: Treatment at a “non-recognised hospital” is not a valid ground to reject a reimbursement claim if the emergency demands hospitalisation at the nearest institution which is outside the stated jurisdiction, Rajasthan high court has observed.Hearing a petition filed by the daughter of retired professor Jagdish Prasad Srivastava, who died in Delhi during the second Covid-19 wave in Nov 2021, Justice Rekha Borana on July 27 ordered Rajasthan university to reimburse his medical expenses with 6% annual interest. A copy of the order was uploaded Monday.“The Covid-19 pandemic was an extraordinary situation in which immediate medical care was of paramount importance,” the court said.The petitioner’s advocate told the court, “During the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Srivastava underwent treatment at various hospitals in Delhi, including AIIMS and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, before succumbing to prolonged illness on Nov 18, 2021.”A reimbursement claim of around Rs 8.9 lakh was submitted on July 27, 2022. “However, the university rejected the claim on Aug 17, 2022, stating that the treatment had been taken in a non-recognised hospital outside Rajasthan,” the advocate submitted.
