Notice on PIL seeking free insulin for diabetics

Hearing the petition by G Devarajan, a division comprising Justice R Subbaiah and Justice C Saravanan issued notice to the State authorities, including health secretary, returnable in two weeks.

The petitioner submitted that the number of diabetes patients was increasing every year, with even the young being affected. This has resulted in thousands of patients obtaining outpatient treatment at government hospitals every day, especially with private healthcare turning expensive.

While diabetes control tablets were provided free of cost, insulin was being sold at a cost, which was not affordable for the poor and middle-class families. The petitioner also submitted that the average monthly expense for a diabetic comes between Rs 3,000 and Rs 8,000, of which insulin cost alone works out to a substantial amount.

Noting that the diabetes management has turned out to be an expensive process, the petitioner referred to his various representations to the State which failed to evoke response, and sought the court to direct the state to provide free insulin to patients visiting government hospitals and link it to the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.