The Delhi High Court on September 26 asked the Delhi government to file a status report giving details of the steps taken to improve health facilities in city hospitals in Delhi.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao asked the government to mention details of the number of life-saving equipment, available drugs, beds, operation theatres and availability of staff, among others, in its status report.

The court expressed dissatisfaction over the status report filed by the government earlier. When the bench was informed that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine is dysfunctional since 2016 in Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, the court directed the hospital to file a response with regards to the condition of the MRI machine within one week.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on January 25 next year. The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by a school teacher from Karawal Nagar here, Madhu Bala, who lost her nine-month-old foetus when she was admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital here for delivery.

The teacher alleged that crumbling infrastructure and lack of medical facilities were the reasons behind the death as the hospital did not perform surgery "in the garb of non-availability" of operation theatre. The plea filed by advocate Prashant Manchanda has requested the court to issue direction to the government to take effective steps with a view to immediately resurrect the dangerously dilapidated health system in the public hospitals, utilise huge funds available at their disposal to infuse instant course correction and overhauling to prevent further health hazards.