Supreme Court endorses uniform ICU norms to check prolonged stay of patients

The Supreme Court has endorsed guidelines for intensive care units, proposing that stabilised patients requiring no further organ support or physiological monitoring be discharged or moved to hospital wards. The guidelines aim to address the trauma experienced by patients' relatives who often lack knowledge about ICU care and rely solely on doctors' advice. Medical experts vetted the guidelines, which were drafted by a three-member committee and endorsed by the court as "practical, implementable, and necessary.