The Gauhati High Court has directed the Arunachal Pradesh government to pay Rs 2.5 lakhs as compensation to the family of Miti Mega, who, the court said, died due to medical negligence and the absence of a blood bank at the district hospital in Roing, Lower Dibang Valley district.
The court of Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak held the state’s Health Department responsible for the death of Mega, who gave birth to a baby at the hospital in 2015 but died due to profuse bleeding and unavailability of blood.
Following the tragedy, Mega’s mother-in-law, Junaki Mega, took the department to court, seeking justice.
The court emphasised that it is the bounden duty of state authorities to provide proper and necessary medical facilities to citizens. Due to the unavailability of a blood bank in the government hospital, Mega could not be given the critical help she needed.
The court held the respondents in the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, responsible for Mega’s death. Though it took the court many years to indict the department for its failure to provide essential health facilities, the judgement sends a strong message.
The department must now step up and improve its services, as directed by the court. The Health Department is one of the most vital wings of governance and should be prioritised accordingly. Due to a lack of facilities, citizens continue to die preventable deaths, with the situation being more dire in the interior regions of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Government of Arunachal Pradesh, in this case, must own up to its fatal lapse in not providing timely and adequate healthcare, and pay the compensation as directed by the court.