Private hospitals getting subsidised land cannot run away from its responsibility to give free treatment to economically weaker section of society, the Supreme Court said today while asking them to work out a mechanism with Delhi govt for ensuring this.

A bench comprising Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik pulled up some of the hospitals for not giving free treatment to the poor.

“Why are you not doing so. Why did you agree to terms and conditions of lease agreement for taking land. If you cannot do so then pay the market value of the land to the government. We know how much money you make,” the bench said.

It asked the hospitals to sit with government authorities to sort out the issue and work out a scheme to treat the poor patients 25 percent outdoor and 10 percent indoor free of cost.

In the meantime, the court said that patients from government hospitals be referred to such private hospitals which would provide free treatment.

The court was hearing a bunch of petitions filed by ten hospitals challenging a Delhi high court order directing them to provide free treatment to the poor.

The state government told the court that out of 37 such hospitals 27 are giving treatment to poor patients.