Aadhaar Not Must for Treatment in Telangana Government Hospitals, Tells High Court

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has informed the High Court that patients can receive treatment at all government hospitals without the need to produce an Aadhaar card. This assurance was given on Friday in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging that patients were being denied medical care due to the absence of Aadhaar.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara took note of the government's submission and disposed of the PIL.

The PIL was filed by advocate Srinivas Byreddy, who cited an incident where a woman was allegedly denied treatment at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) for not presenting her Aadhaar card. He argued that such actions were unconstitutional and sought a directive ensuring that all government hospitals in Telangana provide treatment without insisting on Aadhaar verification.

In response, the special government pleader representing OGH and the Department of Health, Medical, and Family Welfare countered the claims, stating that the patient in question had, in fact, received proper treatment. Supporting this, the counsel presented evidence to the court.

When further questioned on whether government hospitals were consistently providing treatment to patients without Aadhaar, the government’s legal representative reaffirmed that treatment was being offered regardless of Aadhaar availability and that this policy would continue.

With this assurance, the High Court concluded the proceedings, ensuring that no patient in Telangana would be denied treatment at government hospitals due to the absence of an Aadhaar card.

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