BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has directed the guardians of an 18-month-old to take him to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health for medical examination. The boy has been suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, a rare fatal genetic disorder. The boy’s father had already approached the office of the CM and PM for financial assistance of about `7-8 crore. Over `8 crore was mobilised through crowd-funding for the purchase of a life-saving drug, ‘Zolgensma’.
Passing the order on the petition filed by Janish, represented by his father N Naveen Kumar, Justice Krishna S Dixit directed Dr G N Sanjeev, Associate Professor of the Institute, to examine the infant prima facie and refer him to an expert committee. The court also permitted the petitioner’s guardians to contact Dr Sanjeev either through e-mail or mobile phone or otherwise.
“If something happens to the child because of arguable culpability qua the respondents concerned of the doctors, they should be held personally liable,” the court said while adjourning further hearing to October 7. The counsel for the Centre submitted that the infant can be taken to the Centre for Human Genetics at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health. He said the application of Janish for financial assistance was received on February 15. However, a letter was issued for a fresh medical certificate from the government hospital indicating the future cost of treatment and date of admission to process the case further.