Woman ‘denied treatment’ under Ayushman Bharat

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 10

In what seemed to be a case of negligence, a woman was ‘denied treatment’ under the Ayushman Bharat scheme by two private hospitals.

The matter came to light after the woman, a kidney patient, and her husband came to the DC office on Friday. A video of the incident was viral on social media. In the video, the victim, Sunita, stated that her kidneys had stopped working due to which there were swelling in the legs. She needed dialysis for treatment.

Talking to mediapersons, her husband, Vijay Kumar, stated that they had first gone to the Civil Hospital for treatment, however due to a surge in Covid cases, staff at the Civil Hospital asked them to visit some private hospital. Then they visited two private hospitals. “Even after having the Ayushman cards, they were denied treatment and were asked to pay for the treatment cost,” added Kumar.

Subsequently, unable to bears the expenses, the couple approached the DC office. Vijay took his wife in a wheelchair. Taking cognizance of the matter, SDM Jai Inder Singh referred the woman to another hospital, which was empanelled under the scheme and assured them of taking action against the private hospital.