Denial of free haemo-dialysis puts patient in a bind - The Hindu Print

Demanding urgent intervention of the Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, Asharfi Lal, a kidney-patient who needs haemo-dialysis twice a week has written to him stating that “without help he would not be able to live long”.

“The expenditure incurred on my haemo-dialysis is Rs. 6,000 per week, where as my monthly family income is limited to a meagre pension of Rs. 11,600. With this I have to support myself, my wife, my daughter and her son and another unwed daughter. Under these circumstances it is difficult for me to bear the cost of haemo-dialysis,” Mr. Lal noted.

Taking up his case advocate Ashok Agarwal noted that Mr. Lal has been denied free haemo-dialysis facility which is provided to the poor and deserving patient by Delhi Health Services.

“The patient had approached Delhi Health Services for assistance under the Delhi Government’s scheme for free dialysis and was asked to produce an income-certificate. However, when he produced the income-certificate showing his actual family-income, he was informed that he is ineligible for the benefit as only those patients who have a family-income under Rs.1 lakh are covered under the scheme,” said Mr. Agarwal.

Mr. Lal is neither in a position to afford haemo-dialysis nor eligible for free haemo-dialysis under the scheme. Also haemo-dialysis is the only hope for his survival and denial thereof amounts to violation of his Fundamental Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, noted the advocate.

“We request the Minister to urgently extend the facility of free haemo-dialysis to this patient in view of his genuine need. At least in this case the Government should reconsider its policy in view of the fact that kidney-failure patients are completely dependent upon heamo-dialysis for their survival and even those who do not fall within the stipulated income-limit may not be in a position to afford the cost of the same,’’ the advocate wrote in his appeal to the Minister.

The Delhi Health Services informed the patient that he was ineligible for the benefit as it was only for those who have a family-income under Rs.1 lakh

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