Smt. Deepa Pant Petitioner v. State Of Uttarakhand And Others S

Rajiv Sharma, J.:— The petitioner's husband was working as Teacher. He developed heart aliment. He was rushed to Shri Rammurti Medical collage, Bareilly. He remained indoor patient from 31.08.2010 to 06.09.2010 He was operated upon. Thereafter, he died on 13.07.2011 The case of the petitioner remained under correspondence. The objections were raised in piecemeal. The objections raised therein were removed, despite that money has not been reimbursed/paid. Medical bills of the employees should be cleared at the earliest.

2. Petitioner submitted medical reimbursement bills strictly as per the guidelines/instructions issued by the State of Uttarakhand dated 04.09.2006 The Additional Director approved the same by making necessary deductions vide annexure No. 4. Thereafter, the District Education Officer sent the case to the Director on 10.10.2012 but till date no decision has been taken on the reimbursement.

3. The case of the petitioner ought to have been decided expeditiously since the same has been approved by the Additional Director vide annexure no. 4. The case of the petitioner was covered under the guidelines/instructions quoted hereinabove. The only contingency is that when the patient is sent out of the State for the specialised treatment, a certificate to this effect has to be tendered by the patient or his dependent. In the present case, Dr. Amresh Kumar Agarwal of Shri Rammurti Medical Collage, Bareilly has certified that the petitioner's husband was admitted in emergency and was operated and treated.

4. Right to get medical treatment is a fundamental right as enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Every citizen must get the medical assistance. The family is forced to spend money in grave medical emergency and may be by raising loans etc.

5. The petitioner's husband has spent a sum of Rs. 3,22,314/- for his treatment in the hospital. The same was reduced to Rs. 2,54,083/- by the Additional Director vide annexure no. 4. The case of the petitioner should have been considered in a humane manner. The higher authorities, who are required to sanction the amount, must also remember that they may also fall sick and money would be required for their treatment also.

6. Every citizen has a right to health. The constitutional duty is cast upon the State to provide proper medical health services to the citizens. It is the responsibility of the State Government to provide free of cost life saving drugs. No person can be permitted to die for want of life saving drug/medicine. The State Government is bound to clear all the medical reimbursement bills expeditiously to mitigate the hardship faced by the patient and his dependants.

7. Their Lordships of Hon. Apex Court in (1995) 3 SCC 42 in the case of ‘Consumer Education & Research Centre v. Union of India'’ have held that the right to health and medical aid of workers during service and thereafter is a fundamental right. Court can give directions in appropriate cases to State or its undertakings/instrumentalities, company or private employer to make the right meaningful and to pay compensation to affected workmen. Their Lordships have further held that the right to life includes the right to livelihood, better standard of living, hygienic conditions in the workplace and leisure. It was further held that the Preamble and Article 38 of the Constitution envision social justice as the arch to ensure life to be meaningful and liveable with human dignity. Their Lordships have held as under:—

“19. In a developing society like ours steeped with unbridgeable and ever-widening gaps of inequality in status and of opportunity, law is catalyst, rubicon to the poor etc. to reach the ladder of social justice. Justice K. Subba Rao, the former Chief Justice of this Court, in his Social Justice and Law at page 2, had stated that: “Social justice is one of the disciplines of justice and the discipline of justice relates to the society.” What is due cannot be ascertained by absolute standard which keeps changing depending upon the time, place and circumstance. The constitutional concern of social justice as an elastic continuous process is to accord justice to all sections of the society by providing facilities and opportunities to remove handicaps and disabilities with which the poor etc. are languishing and to secure dignity of their person. The Constitution, therefore, mandates the State to accord justice to all members of the society in all facets of human activity. The concept of social justice embeds equality to flavour and enliven practical content of ‘life’. Social justice and equality are complementary to each other so that both should maintain their vitality. Rule of law, therefore, is a potent instrument of social justice to bring about equality in results.

20. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts human sensitivity and moral responsibility of every State that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” The Charter of the United Nations thus reinforces the faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of human person envisaged in the Directive Principles of State Policy as part of the 12 Constitution. The jurisprudence of personhood or philosophy of the right to life envisaged under Article 21, enlarges its sweep to encompass human personality in its full blossom with invigorated health which is a wealth to the workman to earn his livelihood, to sustain the dignity of person and to live a life with dignity and equality.

22. The expression ‘life’ assured in Article 21 of the Constitution does not connote mere animal existence or continued drudgery through life. It has a much wider meaning which includes right to livelihood, better standard of living, hygienic conditions in the workplace and leisure. In Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corpn. this Court held that no person can live without the means of living i.e means of livelihood. If the right to livelihood is not treated as a part of the constitutional right to life, the easiest way of depriving a person of his right to life would be to deprive him of his means of livelihood to the point of abrogation. Such deprivation would not only denude the life of its effective content of meaningfulness but it would make life impossible to live, leave aside what makes life liveable. The right to life with human dignity encompasses within its fold, some of the finer facets of human civilisation which makes life worth living. The expanded connotation of life would mean the tradition and cultural heritage of the persons concerned. In State of H.P v. Umed Ram Sharma this Court held that the right to life includes the quality of life as understood in its richness and fullness by the ambit of the Constitution. Access to road was held to be an access to life itself in that State.

24. The right to health to a worker is an integral facet of meaningful right to life, to have not only a meaningful existence but also robust health and vigour without which worker would lead life of misery. Lack of health denudes him of his livelihood. Compelling economic necessity to work in an industry exposed to health hazards due to indigence to bread-winning for himself and his dependants, should not be at the cost of the health and vigour of the workman. Facilities and opportunities, as enjoined in Article 38, should be provided to protect the health of the workman. Provision for medical test and treatment invigorates the health of the worker for higher production or efficient service. Continued treatment, while in service or after retirement is a moral, legal and constitutional concomitant duty of the employer and the State. Therefore, it must be held that the right to health and medical care is a fundamental right under Article 21 read with Articles 39(e), 41 and 43 of the Constitution and make the life of the workman meaningful and purposeful with dignity of person. Right to life includes protection of the health and strength of the worker and is a 13 minimum requirement to enable a person to live with human dignity. The State, be it Union or State Government or an industry, public or private, is enjoined to take all such actions which will promote health, strength and vigour of the workman during the period of employment and leisure and health even after retirement as basic essentials to live the life with health and happiness. The health and strength of the worker is an integral facet of right to life. Denial thereof denudes the workman the finer facets of life violating Article 21. The right to human dignity, development of personality, social protection, right to rest and leisure are fundamental human rights to a workman assured by the Charter of Human Rights, in the Preamble and Articles 38 and 39 of the Constitution. Facilities for medical care and health to prevent sickness ensures stable manpower for economic development and would generate devotion to duty and dedication to give the workers' best physically as well as mentally in production of goods or services. Health of the worker enables him to enjoy the fruits of his labour, keeping him physically fit and mentally alert for leading a successful life, economically, socially and culturally. Medical facilities to protect the health of the workers are, therefore, the fundamental and human rights to the workmen.

25. Therefore, we hold that right to health, medical aid to protect the health and vigour of a worker while in service or post-retirement is a fundamental right under Article 21, read with Articles 39(e), 41, 43, 48-A and all related articles and fundamental human rights to make the life of the workman meaningful and purposeful with dignity of person.”

28. “It would thus be clear that in an appropriate case, the Court would give appropriate directions to the employer, be it the State or its undertaking or private employer to make the right to life meaningful; to prevent pollution of work place; protection of the environment; protection of the health of the workman or to preserve free and unpolluted water for the safety and health of the people. The authorities or even private persons or industry are bound by the directions issued by this Court under Article 32 and Article 142 of the Constitution.”

8. Their Lordships of Hon. Apex Court in (1996) 4 SCC 37 in the case of ‘Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Society v. State of W.B’, have held that the Constitution envisages the establishment of a welfare State at the federal level as well as at the State level. In a welfare State, the primary duty of the Government is to secure the welfare of the people.

9. Their Lordships of Hon. Apex Court in (2000) 3 SCC 224 in the case of ‘Municipal Corporation of Delhi v. Female Workers (Muster Roll)’, have held that a just social order can be achieved only when inequalities are obliterated and everyone is provided what is legally due. Women who constitute almost half of the segment of the society have to be honoured and treated with dignity at cases where they work to earn their livelihood. To become a mother is the most natural phenomenon in the life of a woman. Whatever is needed to facilitate the birth of child to a woman who is in service, the employer has to be considerate and sympathetic towards her and must realize the physical difficulties which a working woman would face in performing her duties at the workplace while carrying a baby in a womb or while rearing up the child after birth. Their Lordships have further held in Paragraph 33 that:

33. “A just social order can be achieved only when inequalities are obliterated and everyone is provided what, is legally due. When who constitute almost half of the segment of our society have to be honoured and treated with dignity at places where they work to earn their livelihood. Whatever be the nature of their duties, their avocation and the place where they work; they must be provided all the facilities to which they are entitled. To become a mother is the most natural phenomena in the life of a woman. Whatever is needed to facilitate the birth of child to a woman who is in service, the employer has to be considerate and sympathetic towards her and must realise the physical difficulties which a working woman would face in performing her duties at the work place while carrying a baby in the womb or while rearing up the child after birth. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 aims to provide all these facilities to a working woman in a dignified manner so that she may overcome the state of motherhood honourably, peaceably, undeterred by the fear, of being victimized for forced absence during the pre or postnatal period.”

10. Accordingly, the writ petition is allowed. Respondents are directed to reimburse the sum of Rs. 2,54,083/- as recommended by the Assistant Director within a period of six weeks from today. It shall carry interest @ 12% per annum.

11. However, before parting with the judgment, the respondent-State is directed to ensure that all the medical reimbursement bills of the employees are cleared within a period of three months. The State Government is also directed to provide life saving drugs for treatment of cancer, heart ailment etc. free of cost to save the precious life.