Private hospital releases body after minister's intervention

RANCHI: Two Modicare empanelled private hospitals in the city allegedly refused to provide treatment for free to beneficiaries of the scheme, claiming procedural lapses and confusion. In one of the cases relating to release of a body, the hospital relented only after the state health minister gave a piece of his mind. In the second case, the hospital cited confusion in the eligibility of the patient for the scheme, but said it has been sorted out and will refund the money charged.
In the case of Rubiya Shabana, a resident of Itki, Gurunanak Hospital refused to release her body after she died late on Sunday night. She was admitted on Jaunary 23 after she was referred there by a doctor from Anjuman Hospital in Ratu Road who also works with the Gurunanak Hospital. Shabana, who was a beneficiary of Ayushman Bharat, the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for universal healthcare, remained in a coma after being admitted to the hospital and was kept in its intensive care unit. She was diagnosed with brain fever.
On Monday morning, when Shabana's relatives requested for release her body, the hospital authorities refused and demanded Rs 45,000 as fee, which resulted in an altercation between the two sides.
Shabana's brother-in-law Fakhruddin said, "The billing counter in-charge demanded Rs 45,000 when we sought release of the body so that we can take it home and perform the last rites. He even threatened me, saying he will call the police and register a case against me, if I do not pay the amount."
Later, a team from the Chutia police station came to the hospital and tried to resolve the issue but its authorities still refused to release the body. It was only after state health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi's intervention that the hospital was forced to release the body.
Speaking to TOI, Fakhruddin said he was asked to deposit Rs 5,000 during admission even after he informed the hospital that the patient was covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. He also said he had submitted the golden card of the patient two days after admitting her. "I have already spent around Rs 1 lakh on medicines which were also supposed to be provided by the hospital under the scheme," Fakhruddin lamented.
The operations manager of the hospital, Mandeep Singh, said they weren't informed that the patient was a beneficiary of Modicare. "The patient's kin delayed submission of the golden card which led to the confusion. We cannot process the formalities if the card is not produced during admission or within 24 hours of admission," he added.
However, assistant executive director of Ayushman Bharat's nodal agency, Jharkhand State Arogya Society (JSAS), Abhishek Srivastava, said: "The beneficiaries can submit their golden cards five days after admission to a hospital and the hospital cannot deny cashless treatment if the patient hadn't submitted it at the time of admission. We are taking cognizance of this incident and it will be dealt strictly, if the complaint is found true."
In another incident, Shankar Prasad Gupta, the father of a 10-day-old boy, said Shourya Children Hospital, located in Hehal area, did not provide cashless treatment to his son. Gupta said he had paid Rs 40,000 to the hospital as surgery and medicine costs, which was supposed to be free as he is a Modicare beneficiary.
Dr Prakash, who runs the child hospital, said there was some confusion related to his eligibility for the scheme. But he was quick to add that the issue has been sorted out and the hospital would refund the money by Tuesday.