CAT chides Govt for denying medical reimbursement

NEW DELHI: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has chided the Centre for denying medical reimbursement to a government doctor's terminally-ill daughter who underwent treatment abroad and directed it to pay the hospital bill of Rs 17.31 lakh. "The decision (denying medical reimbursement) of the government is against all canons of humanity, sympathy, compassion and is also in flagrant violation of the Constitution of India," the tribunal said. Ravi Pathak, 45, a doctor at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital here whose daughter was administered stem cell transplantation at Singapore and died later, was denied medical reimbursement after the standing committee concerned concluded that the success rate of such treatment was less. "The decision in review by the standing committee revoking their earlier decision without any logic, rationale and reasoning is not only arbitrary and inhuman but also runs counter to the guaranteed fundamental right under the Constitution of India to a citizen of this country," the recent order by Shanker Raju, Member, CAT, said. The tribunal while expressing its anguish over the decision to deny the reimbursement cited instances in which "important persons" were allowed treatment abroad despite knowing that there was little chance of their survival.