In a tragic incident, a woman who was being treated at the ICU of a private hospital under the Chief Minister Insurance Scheme (Mukhyamantri Swasthya Beema Yojana) launched from 2015 during the Harish Rawat-led Congress regime died just two days after she was shifted to the general ward with the scheme having expired on November 9.
The near ones of the deceased created a ruckus in the hospital on Saturday while Congress tore into the present BJP regime, dubbing it as insensitive towards the poor of the State.
On Thursday, the State Government stalled the MSBY, citing non-extension of services of a private insurance company working for the scheme. Instructions were issued to all the hospitals to stop providing services through the MSBY cards. Over 12 lakh families across the state were enrolled in the scheme.
After she fell ill Patelnagar Brahampuri resident Kamla, 60, was admitted under MSBY in Jagdamba Trauma Centre at Rispana in Nehru Colony area of the city on November 8.
After her condition deteriorated she was admitted at ICU. With her treatment going on from the ICU, the scheme expired on November 9. As the family members could not afford the ICU cost of the treatment she was shifted to the general ward. She died on Saturday.
The angry family members of the deceased said that the hospital authority paid no heed to their pleas of not shifting her from the ICU to the general ward, given her critical condition.
They did not take care of her properly, they alleged. The bereaved family members along with others demonstrated at the hospital, alleging that both the hospital authority and the State Government were responsible for her death.
A Nehru Colony police station officer said that they rushed to the spot upon being informed of the unrest at the hospital. A complaint was received from the deceased’s family members and the body was sent for postmortem after the situation was controlled, he added.
Meanwhile, a senior State Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana who visited the hospital following the death of the patient said that the woman had died due to insensitivity of the State Government.
“The withdrawal of the scheme would land the poor of the State in a grave problem. Around three lakh people have the health insurance scheme cards which would be of no avail to them now. After the withdrawal of the scheme, situation at various hospitals has become chaotic,” he said.
Taking potshots at the ruling BJP, the Congress leader said that the scheme had been on the BJP government’s radar as it had been launched during the Congress regime.
“The MSBY was launched by the former chief minister Harish Rawat in April 2015, which provided cashless health cover of up to `1.75 lakh to the families of the Non-Government employees not falling under tax-paying brackets.
BJP was hell-bent on finishing it off as it was Harish Rawat’s dream project to give relief to the poor in availing medical facilities. This is unfortunate,” he said.