Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered notice to the state government on a plea seeking the government to provide emergency life saving drugs like insulin injection to the diabetic patients, who require the drug, free of cost in all government hospitals.
When the PIL filed by G. Devarajan came up for hearing before the Division Bench comprising Justices R. Subbaiah and C. Saravanan on Friday, the bench ordered notice to secretary, health and family welfare department and adjourned the matter after two weeks for further hearing.
The petitioner Devarajan submitted that thousands of diabetic patients undertake treatment in hospitals. The number of diabetic patients has been increasing every year. He submitted that the Type 2 diabetic patients are mostly within the range 30 to 40 years who could be cured by tablets. A large number of chronic diabetic patients get relief with the help of insulin injection.
He said instead of giving insulin injection free of cost, the injection has been sold at a lower price in for the Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics in government hospitals.
While referring to various freebies given by the government he said the government should provide the insulin injection free of cost to the required. They spend nearly Rs 10,000 per month for the treatment.Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi governments have decided to provide medicines to all diabetic patients free of cost.
He sought for a direction to authorities of the state health department, to provide the “emergency life saving drugs - insulin injection” free of cost to all the diabetics patients who visit as outpatient to the government hospitals. The government may consider providing the free insulin injection to diabetic patients under Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
