Overview
- The directive was issued on October 13 by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta in a public interest case on access to palliative care.
- The Union government must collect and collate implementation data from all States and Union Territories and submit a comprehensive affidavit.
- The 2017 guidelines envision integrating palliative services through district-level teams and a State palliative protection cell in every State.
- Petitioner Dr. Rajshree Nagaraju argues that palliative care is part of the right to health and a dignified end of life under Article 21, seeking clear national protocols and systems.
- Petitioner’s counsel Jayna Kothari said the Union’s earlier affidavit lacked specifics and noted that, so far, only West Bengal and Uttarakhand have filed counter-affidavits.