Sonam Wangchuk to be moved from Safdarjung Hospital to Medanta, says Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk can be moved to Medanta from Safdarjung Hospital. The High Court was hearing a plea by the activist's wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, seeking his transfer from Safdarjung Hospital to Medanta due to his deteriorating health after a prolonged hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.

The Bench said, "What we propose to do is we get him shifted to Medanta. He will be treated there. All treatment details, everything, reports etc which have been done at Safdarjung will be supplied to Medanta." It also directed the private hospital to constitute a panel of doctors to treat Sonam Wangchuk.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the government has no objection to Wangchuk being moved to Medanta. Mehta, however, added that Sonam Wangchuk should not discharge himself from Medanta against medical advice, news agency PTI reported.

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He argued that the people around the activist tried to take him out of the hospital and said that his health could deteriorate if he returned to the protest site.

"He can choose his hospital and his doctors. He should not get discharged against medical advice. What if he goes back to the protest site? What if something happens to him? He cannot take such a risk," Mehta submitted.

Following this, the High Court said that upon examining Wangchuk's medical reports and interacting with the doctors treating him, there seemed to be a consensus that he required medical monitoring. The court added that while the doctors believed any hospital could manage such monitoring, one of the doctors recommended that Wangchuk remain under hospital supervision.

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Meanwhile, the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital has written to President Droupadi Murmu, urging her to protect patient rights after reports claimed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was allegedly denied Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA) despite being a "competent patient".

In its representation submitted on Monday, the RDA said the reports, if accurate, raised serious concerns about informed consent, personal liberty and constitutional rights. It also sought an independent inquiry into the events at Jantar Mantar, where Wangchuk and his supporters were protesting before he was forcefully shifted to Safdarjung Hospital.

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Expressing "deep concern" over Wangchuk's continued hospitalisation, the association said, "While Wangchuk's medical condition and the necessity of his continued hospitalisation remain matters of independent clinical judgment, every individual admitted to a hospital is, first and foremost, entitled to be treated as a patient with dignity, compassion, and in accordance with established medical ethics and the Constitution of India."

The RDA also flagged the "extraordinary security arrangements" at Safdarjung Hospital, citing reports of restricted access, sealed sections, heavy security deployment and disruption to routine operations. "If such measures resulted in the disruption of patient care, impeded access to healthcare services, or created an environment in which a hospital appeared to function as an extension of law enforcement rather than a place of healing, the matter warrants independent examination," it said.

"Hospitals are institutions of healing and must not be perceived as places of detention except where such restriction is expressly authorised by law and carried out in accordance with due process," the representation added. The association also sought protection for healthcare workers and peaceful citizens from intimidation, while urging measures to restore transparency, institutional independence and public confidence in public healthcare.

(With PTI, India Today inputs)