New Delhi: After a five-year long struggle
for reimbursement of medical bills, a retired Delhi government
employee on Friday got relief from the High Court, which directed
the state government to reimburse his bills amounting to Rs
1.5 lakh with 18 per cent interest.
Directing the government to pay the amount within a
month, Justice Kailash Gambhir also imposed a cost of Rs
10,000 and asked to pay the amount to Kishan Chand, a retired
district employment officer.
Observing that it was the constitutional obligation of
the state to bear the medical expenses of government employees
while in service and also after they were retired, the court
said "the officials have denied the grant of medical
reimbursement to the petitioner, forcing him to approach this
court...".
Kishan Chand, after his retirement in April 2001, in a
petition said he had suffered a heart attack in April 2005 and
was admitted in a private hospital. Due to prolonged treatment
the hospital charged him more than Rs 1 lakh.
He alleged when he had applied for the reimbursement of
the medical bills, the district employment office had rejected
his plea several times under one pretext or the other.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 19, 2010, 22:12