Palliative Care: Supreme Court Give Centre Three Weeks To Inform About Implementation Of 2017 Guidelines

A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta passed the order while hearing a petition seeking a direction to authorities to provide palliative care to terminally ill persons as part of the national health programme. It posted the matter for further hearing on November 25.

Palliative care is specialised medical care for people suffering from serious ailments and health conditions of a terminal nature.

Senior Advocate Jayna Kothari, appearing for the petitioner, told the bench about the 2017 guidelines titled National Programme for Palliative Care.

She said the Centre has filed a short affidavit in the matter but has not referred to how they comply with the guidelines.

"In fact, the guidelines say that at the district level, you have to set up a palliative care team and every state has to have a state palliative protection cell. Let them say how many states have set up the cell," she said.

Kothari said the Centre should also inform how many public health care centres have a palliative care team.

The bench noted in its order that a copy of the guidelines has been shared with the counsel appearing for the Centre and the states appearing before it.

"The additional solicitor general and the senior counsel appearing for the Union of India are granted three weeks time to obtain instructions with regard to the implementation of these guidelines not only by the Union but also after collating the respective data from the respective states and apprise this court of the status," the bench said.

In March last year, the Apex Court had sought responses from the Centre and others on the plea.

It asked the Centre to file a comprehensive response indicating the steps taken and the policies in force for administering palliative care to terminally-ill patients.

With PTI Inputs