Palliative Care: SC Gives Three Weeks To Centre To Inform About Implementation Of 2017 Guidelines
The bench was hearing a petition seeking direction to authorities to provide palliative care to terminally ill persons as part of the national health programme.
Published : October 13, 2025 at 6:07 PM IST
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday gave three weeks’ time to the central government to apprise it on the implementation of 2017 guidelines on palliative care issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Palliative care is specialised medical care for people suffering from serious ailments and health conditions of a terminal nature.
The matter came up before a bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. The bench was hearing a petition seeking a direction to authorities to provide palliative care to terminally ill persons as part of the national health programme.
The bench has scheduled the matter for further hearing on November 25. During the hearing, senior advocate Jayna Kothari, representing the petitioner, informed the bench about the 2017 guidelines titled National Programme for Palliative Care.
The senior counsel said that the government has filed a short affidavit in the matter but has not referred to how they comply with the guidelines and the Centre should also inform how many public health care centres have a palliative care team
The senior counsel contended that the guidelines say that at the district level, you have to set up a palliative care team and every state has to have a state palliative protection cell. “Let them say how many states have set up the cell," she said.
The bench noted that a copy of the guidelines has been shared with the Centre's counsel and the states appearing before it. "The additional solicitor general and the senior counsel appearing for the Union of India are granted three weeks’ time to obtain instructions with regard to the implementation of these guidelines not only by the Union but also after collating the respective data from the respective states and apprise this court of the status," the bench said.
The apex court in March, last year, had sought responses from the Centre and others on the plea, and also asked the government to file a comprehensive response indicating the steps taken and the policies in force.
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