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ShareAhmedabad: In a case that defeats the very purpose of Narendra Modi government's ambitious Chiranjeevi scheme, a poor woman was recently forced to cough up as much as Rs20,000 after she delivered a baby. The incident took place at the private hospital of Dr Nitin Shah at Sanand in Ahmedabad district.
The Chiranjeevi scheme, conceived in 2005, aims at providing free institutional delivery in case of women belonging to below poverty line (BPL). In addition to government hospitals, the scheme is also implemented through select private hospitals, where the government reimburses to the private hospitals the expenses incurred by them for the services rendered to BPL women.
In the Sanand case, Meenaben Navghanbhai Pagi, a resident of Makhiyav village and a holder of BPL card, underwent a C-section operation at Janani Maternity Home at Sanand. At the time of discharge, she was asked to pay a hefty sum of Rs20,000. The hospital is in government's panel for implementing Chiranjeevi Yojana.
The doctor gave them three days time to pay for the operation for which the family had arrange the money by mortgaging ornaments. "We come from a very poor family and we feel cheated by the doctor's act,'' said Navghanbhai, Meena's husband.
Manubhai Barot, community health worker and chairman of Manav Sewa Trust at Sanand, many poor patients like Meena are cheated daily. "Chiranjeevi Yojana is an excellent scheme designed to give financial support to poor people. The scheme aims at bringing down the number of child and mother mortality rates. But it is being misused by a number of doctors. This scheme has failed to reach the grassroots level. I think the government should carry out a check at a micro level," says Barot.
Hospital owner Dr. Nitin Shah who operated on Meena is however defensive. "BPL card holders are required to show the hospital their BPL card and only then can they avail the benefits of this scheme. However, Meena's family showed me an APL (above poverty line) card. Meena was in a serious condition and I had advised the family to visit a government hospital because we generally transfer such serious cases there. However, they kept insisting that they wanted their treatment done at my clinic only. In nay case, Meena herself has not come to me with any issues so far," said Shah.
State health commissioner, Mukesh Puri, when contacted, said this case would be investigated in depth. "The family will be given back the amount they had paid if they are found to be correct. The CDHO will look into the matter,'' he said.
Meanwhile, Navghanbhai said that the government had paid them Rs700 towards the amount of Rs20,000. "But nothing has happened after that,'' he said.
