‘Patients cannot be discriminated on the basis of residence’

Andhra Pradesh Advocate-General S. Sriram asserted during a hearing by the Telangana High Court on a PIL filed against the denial of entry for ambulances bound for Hyderabad, at the borders, that inte

Andhra Pradesh Advocate-General S. Sriram asserted during a hearing by the Telangana High Court on a PIL filed against the denial of entry for ambulances bound for Hyderabad, at the borders, that inter-State movement is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution. Appearing for A.P., which was made a party in the PIL, Mr. Sriram contended that the provisions referred to in the circular issued by the Telangana government and the Epidemic Diseases and the National Disaster Management Acts did not allow a State to discriminate on the basis of residence of patients. “Medical infrastructure in the country, irrespective of the State in which it is located, is a national asset, and the Supreme Court has directed that there should be seamless coordination between all the States. The entire process is to work around the orders of the Telangana High Court, which is unjustifiable both in law and on the basis of facts,” the A-G argued.