The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the city government to ensure within eight weeks that all government and recognised private schools have a doctor and a compounder during the school hours to meet any emergency.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw referred to the city government's Delhi School Education Rule and said, "The Delhi Government will ensure that all government and recognised private schools should have a doctor and compounder/dispenser on whole-time or part-time basis within eight weeks."
The bench rejected the government counsel's argument that schools have been linked with the government hospitals and doctors cannot be provided in schools due to lack of financial resources.
The bench accepted the argument of amicus curiae Ashok Aggarwal that Rule 38 of Delhi School Education Rules says that every school shall appoint a medical officer on such part time or whole time basis as may be necessary for looking after the health of school children.
The court order came on a PIL alleging that the government school authorities had failed to provide timely treatment to a Class VII student who suffered an eye injury in a stone-pelting incident on August 29 last year.
The petitioner sought action against the government, claiming that it had failed to learn a lesson from a similar incident in the past, when a Class XI girl student of another school had lost her eyesight.