New Delhi, (Samajweekly) The Delhi High Court, taking up a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the mother of a four-year-old child suffering from horseshoe kidney disorder, has directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to import the Dexell injection, which is urgently needed for the child’s treatment.
Horseshoe kidney disorder is a rare condition in which the kidneys are fused together at the lower end and form a “U” shape before birth.
The court’s order came after the Registrar General received an email from the child’s mother, stating that the injection was not available in India and was essential for her son’s treatment. A PIL was registered based on the email.
The bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sachin Datta, while hearing the PIL, directed AIIMS to urgently import the injection and ensure that it is administered to the child without any delay.
The mother of the child stated that she was referred to the ESIC dispensary in Nand Nagri by AIIMS to obtain the Dexell injection, as the child’s father is a beneficiary of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation scheme.
However, the dispensary referred her back to AIIMS, stating that the injection was unavailable in the country.
In response, the ESIC informed the court that the injection was refused only because it was not available in India, and there was no substitute for it in the India pharmacopoeia, which lists medicinal drugs and their effects and directions for use.
The ESIC counsel requested the court to direct AIIMS to procure the injection, and the ESIC would reimburse the entire cost incurred.
“Hence, AIIMS Hospital is directed to take urgent steps to procure/import the injection that is required for treatment of the child/patient and administer the same without delay,” the court said.
The court also said that AIIMS shall also communicate the details of the expenditure/charges in this regard to ESIC office for reimbursement.
