ESI Service/Hospital Comes Under Consumer Protection Act

The service rendered by the medical practitioners of hospitals/nursing homes run by the ESI Corporation cannot be regarded as a service rendered free of charge. The person availing of such service under an insurance scheme of medical care, whereunder the charges for consultation, diagnosis and medical treatment are borne by the insurer, such service would fall within the ambit of `service’ as defined in Section 2(1)(o) of the CP Act. We are of the opinion that the service provided by the ESI hospital/dispensary falls within the ambit of `service’ as defined in Section 2(1)(o) of the CP Act. ESI scheme is an insurance scheme and it contributes for the service rendered by the ESI hospitals/dispensaries, of medical care in its hospitals/dispensaries, and as such service given in the ESI hospitals/dispensaries to a member of the Scheme or his family cannot be treated as gratuitous.

Court
Supreme Court Of India
Appellant
Kishore Lal
Respondent
Chairman, Employees State Insurance Corporation
judge name
Bench: B.N. Agrawal, P.P. Naolekar, Dalveer Bhandari
Case_no
CASE NO.: Appeal (civil) 4965 of 2000
Dated
2007-05-08