72-Year-Old Cancer Patient Dies by Suicide in Bengaluru, Was Refused Benefits Under Ayushman Bharat
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: A 72-year-old resident of Bengaluru allegedly died by suicide on December 25, after 15 days after he was diagnosed with gastric cancer.
The retired state government employee was shocked to know that the hospital declined to provide him Rs. 5 lakh insurance cover under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), a scheme for senior citizens in which he was enrolled, reported The Times of India.
"Even though we had created an AB PM-JAY senior citizen card providing him with Rs 5 lakh annual cover, the Kidwai Memorial Institute Of Oncology (KMIO) denied the benefit, saying that the state govt orders had not arrived yet. However, it extended us a 50% discount," said a family member of the deceased man.
The health insurance scheme provides cover of Rs. 5 lakh for senior citizens who are of 70 years and above.
"We had just started tests and scans and spent Rs 20,000. The treatment entailed a major surgery after chemo. We planned on starting two rounds of chemo at Kidwai itself. We were ready to pay, but then we lost him to suicide in just two days. I am not saying it was directly due to unavailability of the benefit, but he knew it did not come through and was already stressed," said the family member.
Implementation of scheme stuck in Karnataka due to standoff between state and Centre
A confrontation between the Congress government in Karnataka and the BJP-led NDA government in the Centre over the funding of the Ayushman Bharat senior citizen’s scheme has resulted in several senior citizens in distress.
The scheme's implementation has been stalled by the state government, which has resulted in senior citizens being forced to pay hefty amounts at private hospitals, reported CNBC TV18.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has said that the state has to pay 75 per cent while the Centre’s share is 25 per cent.
“It's a burden on the state," said Rao.
The scheme enables senior citizens to avail cashless hospitalisation in empanelled hospitals.
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