A person who was not allowed the benefits of possessing a health Smart Card at the Neyyattinkara Taluk Hospital has been paid a compensation of Rs.3,500 following an order from the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) chairman J.B. Koshy.
An SHRC release here said K. Manoharan, a native of Venpakal, Neyyattinkara, had rushed his 24-year-old son to the hospital following a sudden illness in November 2010. However, he failed to register the Smart Card at the time of admission, which was necessary for free treatment. Manoharan, who said he forgot the registration in his anxiety, had to pay Rs.3,500 after the hospital refused his benefits. The SHRC Chairman, while ordering the compensation to be paid by the hospital superintendent, said in his order that government hospital personnel should adopt a more humanitarian approach to poor patients.
