The wife of a casual labourer from Madhya Pradesh petitioned Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao on Monday requesting his intervention in ensuring that her husband was provided treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital for his heart ailment.
Doctors at the GRH had reportedly denied treatment to the man since he was not from Tamil Nadu and was not covered under Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
S. Afsana, a native of Dewas in MP, said in her petition that her husband Shakil Shaikh, aged around 50, was diagnosed with blocks in coronary arteries at a private hospital in Indore.
“However, we could not afford to get him treated there since the doctors said that it will cost more than a lakh,” she said.
Interestingly, the couple’s relative, who is a truck driver, had a heart attack a few years ago when he was travelling near Madurai.
According to Ms. Afsana, he was at that time rushed to the GRH, where the doctors operated on him successfully, free of cost.
“Since, we had no other option to get treatment near our town, my relative suggested me to go to the GRH,” she said.
However, the couple, who left their three children with relatives and travelled all the way from MP to Madurai with the hope of getting the ailment cured, faced disappointment as they were denied admission to the hospital.
However, the couple met A. Harikrishnan of Nethaji Medical Trust, who organised amubulance services for the deceased at the GRH.
As Mr. Harikrishnan, along with a few other like-minded people, intervened, the doctors agreed to admit Mr. Shaikh and did an angiogram.
No CMCHIS card
“The doctors found that he had five blocks in his heart. They said he might need an angioplasty or a bypass surgery. However, they refused to do the procedure since he did not have CMCHIS card,” Mr. Harikrishnan said.
“That is why we decided to seek the help of the Collector,” he added.
Soon after Ms. Afsana filed a petition, Collector Rao called up GRH Dean M.R. Vairamuthu Raju, and asked him to ensure that necessary treatment was provided to Mr. Shaikh.
After cure
“A person cannot be denied treatment for not being covered under the CMCHIS. I have asked the Dean to discharge the person only after ensuring that his ailment is completely cured,” he also said.
