The Allahabad High Court directed Uttar Pradesh to draft a comprehensive roadmap for neonatal and paediatric care in 45 government medical colleges. The order links systemic upgrades with accountability over a newborn's death after alleged denial of timely critical care.
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Lucknow,Oct 16, 2026 22:40 IST
The Allahabad High Court on Friday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to prepare a comprehensive roadmap to improve neonatal and paediatric treatment facilities in government medical colleges across the state, Press Trust of India reported.
The court said the plan should also cover essential healthcare facilities for all patients, including adequate general and specialised ventilators, neonatal intensive care units and paediatric intensive care units.
A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjive Shukla issued the direction while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Ashutosh Kumar Singh and other connected petitions.
According to the order reported by Press Trust of India, the court directed the state government to seek expert suggestions from institutions such as the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences and King George's Medical University while preparing the roadmap for 45 government medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh.
During the hearing, the state government informed the court that the e-Sarathi digital referral platform had been launched as a pilot project in Etawah, Auraiya, Kannauj, Mainpuri and Firozabad districts. The medical college at Saifai has been designated as the referral hospital under the initiative.
The government said the platform would be extended to other districts after the pilot project's success was assessed and necessary changes were incorporated.
The court also sought the state government's response on why compensation should not be paid to the family of a newborn who died after allegedly failing to receive timely ventilator support, oxygen and specialist medical attention at the Government Autonomous Medical College in Sultanpur.
It asked the government to consider compensation in light of the facts that emerged during the inquiry into the incident.
The matter will be heard again on December 10, with the state government required to work on the healthcare roadmap and respond to the question of compensation for the newborn's family.
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