The Allahabad High Court sharply criticized private hospitals for treating patients as “guinea pigs or ATM machines” to extort money, while dismissing a plea by Dr. Ashok Kumar Rai, owner of a nursing home, against criminal proceedings in the death of a pregnant woman’s foetus due to delayed surgery.

Justice Prasant Kumar denounced the common practice of private medical facilities luring patients despite lacking adequate doctors or infrastructure. In the case, Dr. Rai admitted a pregnant woman for childbirth surgery in 2023 but failed to perform the operation promptly due to the absence of an anaesthetist, who arrived hours late.  The court noted that while consent for the surgery was obtained around noon, the procedure was delayed until 5:30 pm, resulting in the foetus’s death. “There is no rationale for the delay. Such negligence can only be attributed to the doctor,” the court stated.

The court rejected Dr. Rai’s plea, emphasizing that while medical professionals deserve protection, those running substandard facilities to “fleece patients” do not. The case, stemming from a 2023 complaint by the patient’s family, highlighted systemic issues in Uttar Pradesh’s private healthcare sector, where a 2022 state report found 30% of nursing homes non-compliant with basic medical standards.

The court’s ruling underscores the need for stricter regulation, as India’s private healthcare sector, valued at $150 billion in 2024, faces growing scrutiny for profiteering and negligence.

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