The Punjab and Haryana Excessive Court docket final week permitted a girl colonel, who had alleged “merciless and ill-treatment” at navy hospitals, to get therapy for her psychiatric sickness from PGIMER, Chandigarh, at her personal danger and price.
The colonel, who’s suspended from service and is going through disciplinary proceedings, has tried to commit suicide on 4 events. She has additionally lodged an FIR of sexual harassment towards 4 Military officers, together with three brigadiers and a lieutenant colonel.
In response to the colonel’s rivalry that provisions of the Psychological Healthcare Act, 2017, have been violated by Command Hospital Western Command which allegedly didn’t difficulty her referral to PGIMER Chandigarh, the Military has acknowledged that it isn’t conscious as as to if the Command Hospital, Western Command, Chandimandir is an institution registered underneath Part 65 of the Psychological Well being Care Act, 2017 and that the stated reality is required to be verified.
Justice Vinod S Bharadwaj L, in his order dated October 24, has directed that the medical historical past of the colonel together with all of the paperwork associated to her therapy be delivered by the respondents, the authorities, to the petitioner by way of Part 25 of the Psychological Well being Care Act, 2017.
Within the submissions made earlier than the courtroom, the counsel for the petitioner had referred to the prognosis by the hospital as per which the petitioner has been recognized with “extreme despair with suicidal tendencies”. He contended that even on the OPD slip, generated and issued by PGI, the petitioner has been recognized as a high-risk administration case by the psychiatry division.
The counsel additionally identified that the petitioner has made 4 suicidal makes an attempt up to now. He submitted that as per the provisions of the Psychological Well being Care Act, 2017, each affected person is entitled to have entry to his/her medical report underneath Part 25 of the Act and additional contended that the Command Hospital, Western Command, Chandimandir will not be an institution registered with the authorities underneath the provisions of the Act.
He requested the courtroom that the Military must be directed to permit the colonel to be admitted at PGIMER, Chandigarh, a duly registered institution underneath the provisions of the 2017 Act.
The federal government counsel vehemently opposed the petitioner’s declare and contended that her antecedents are pending consideration and presently she is underneath suspension.
The federal government counsel additionally contended that the petitioner needs to take advantage of her current declare of sickness to stall Court docket of Inquiry proceedings pending earlier than the Military authorities and that within the occasion of any such profit being prolonged in her favour, she is more likely to get the on-going proceedings of abstract of proof stalled.
The counsel for the petitioner additional submitted in courtroom that she would voluntarily prefer to take therapy from PGIMER, Chandigarh at her personal danger and price. Permitting this, the courtroom adjourned the matter to December 16.
