Take action against deteriorating medical facilities in state: HC to UP govt
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Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Friday directed Uttar Pradesh govt to take immediate action against deteriorating medical facilities in the state before things go out of hand.
Hearing a PIL relating to medical facilities in the state, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal said while the Uttar Pradesh govt has developed medical infrastructure in the state capital people living in other cities are being denied medical help.
"It seems that entire focus of the govt is in developing medical infrastructure in the state capital. People living in other cities are being denied medical help. They have to run either to Lucknow or Delhi for treatment.
It is the taxpayers' money which should be evenly spent across the state of Uttar Pradesh and not a particular city should be developed as a medical hub neglecting others," the court noted.
Justice Agarwal directed principal secretary, medical education, UP to appear before the court on July 1, 2025, and apprise it about the efforts undertaken by state govt for improving overall condition of 42 medical colleges of the state and hospitals attached therein.
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Besides, the court also directed the principal secretary to visit all state medical colleges by the next date to gain a firsthand knowledge of the requirements of the hospitals attached to medical colleges.
It also directed Prayagraj's district magistrate, police commissioner, as well as municipal commissioner, Nagar Nigam, Prayagraj, superintendent in charge and deputy SIC, Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, Prayagraj and chief medical officer, Prayagraj to remain present before the court on the next date.
In addition, it also directed the principal secretary to file an affidavit disclosing the entire budgetary allocation to all medical colleges of the state including that of SGPGIMS, KGMU and RMLIMS.
The court also directed the official to place before the state govt for consideration of upgrading of medical facility at Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital (SRN), which is associated hospital of Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj from existing 1250-bed to at least 3000-bed keeping in view the next Kumbh to be held in 2031.
"The official concerned must apprise the govt about the poor medical facilities available in Prayagraj compared to Lucknow and Gorakhpur. Prayagraj, an important religious place where tourists are coming from all over the world and is also having a large local population, is being neglected for last several years with little or no medical facility," the court added.
It also directed the principal secretary to inform the court about the strengthening of the primary health centres across UP, as they are practically in a non-working condition which is putting great pressure upon the hospitals attached to medical colleges.
The court also directed the official to place the matter before the state govt for consideration of setting up, if necessary, an institute like SGPGIMS in the Prayagraj region to cater to the needs of neighbouring districts, as patients from the medical colleges are being referred to SGPGIMS, Lucknow or to Delhi, as there is shortage of facilities and medicines.
It has been apprised that though the doctors are present but due to lack of infrastructure and non-availability of medicines, patients could not be treated in these medical colleges, which is putting great pressure on the state and national capitals, the court added.
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