1999 Supreme(Guj) 582
Gujarat High Court
Judgename :S.K.Keshote
MADHAVDAS BHAGWANDAS KHUSHIRAMANI - Appellant
Versus
STATE - Respondent
S.C.A. 800 of 1998
Decided On : 10/27/1999
Headnote:Government Employee Cardiac Patient - Moved application for prior sanction to undergo operation - Even such cases post facto sanctioned are granted - Case of life no work can be taken - Angiography Test on 12.7.1996, consulted Cardiologist of Civil Hospital Ahmedabed on 24.7.1996 advised immediately coronary by pass surgery - Made application on 26.7.1996 - Mean time acute heartache immediately moved to Apollo Hospital Madras for operation on 6.8.1996 - Permission to undergo operation turned down - Moved application for Rs. 1,19,475 expenses of operation & treatment also for post facto sanction - Not heard for long moved special Court application.
The respondents are directed to pay Rs. 38,000/- to the petitioner within a period of two weeks from the date of receipt of writ of this order. The respondents are further directed to pay interest on this amount of Rs. 38,000/- to the petitioner at the rate of 12% p.a. from the date of resolution dated 26th March,1999. The respondent No.2 is directed to consider the case of the petitioner for grant of post-facto sanction to the him to undergo this surgery at Apollo Hospital, Madras in light of the observations made in this judgment and this exercise has to be undertaken and completed within a period of one month from the date of receipt of writ of this order.
[Para 8]
( 1 ) WHAT the Welfare State and its officers contend is that the petitioner has to undergo by-pass surgery of severe triple vessel coronary artery at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad and not at the Hospital of his confidence and belief. It is unfortunate that the respondents have insisted to undergo for this serious operation at the Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. But they are not appreciating that despite of the fact that the State Government invests huge amount of public money for this Civil Hospital it could not gain that much reputation, faith, belief and confidence of the ailing citizens of the city to prefer this Hospital for this type of serious operation i. e. to undergo by-pass surgery of triple vessel coronary artery. It is not a matter of going to a restaurant to have lunch or dinner or a breakfast or to go to law garden to have a chat or dabeli or hot dog etc. . It is a very serious thing and as it pertains to the life of a human being, the person concerned will not like to take any risk and at all the cost he will like to have this operation to be undertaken by a senior, experienced and reputed Doctor and at the hospital of high reputation and confidence. Though the material is not produced on the record of this special civil application and it is not possible to give any final finding, it comes from the different corners that the higher ups of the society, offices and officers of the Government do not prefer to go for all these major operations at the Civil Hospital. Even for angiography, the higher class of officers and the high dignitaries of the State Government, as what it comes from the different corners, do not prefer to go to Civil Hospital. They prefer either to go to Escort, Delhi or Apollo, Madras or Bombay Hospital, Bombay or even at Ahmedabad to the Gujarat Research and Medical Institute (Rajasthan Hospital ). If for angiography this class of persons do not prefer civil hospital how it is desirable and reasonable of the officers of the Gandhinagar to expect that the petitioner had to go for this serious operation at the Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad.
( 2 ) THE State Government permits its employees/ officers to go for this operation at the institution other than the Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad though on prior sanction of the concerned department. Though material is not there on the record of this special civil application, but it comes from different corners that for higher-ups in the services and the offices where they have undergone operations outside the State of Gujarat, the post-facto sanctions are being given or immediately the sanctions are being made or even advance finances are arranged or bills of hospitals are paid directly. I am constrained to observe that for the employees lower in ladder all rules and regulations are to be strictly complied with and made a rule. In the matter of engaging the services of a professional, whether it is a case of engaging an advocate in the High Court or the District courts or subordinate courts or Doctors for medical treatment or for undergoing operations, the person shall prefer to engage the best professional more so, when it is a case of life of a person concerned, as stated earlier, he will not like to take any risk or chance. It is true that the people are going to civil hospital for these operations but the people of the category who have no means and money are going there. They are the poor persons who have no means to arrange the money to pay fees of the professionals at other institutions. The State Government provides free medical facilities to its employees and officers and in case where they go outside the State for operation on prior approval of the concerned department of the State Government their bills of operations are reimbursed. In a case where employee is serious and desires to go to the hospital outside the State for operation and which he had also made it clear by making an application, if we go by the defence of the respondents, then