Declined Ayushman Bharat Scheme: Elderly Cancer Patient Dies By Suicide In Bengaluru (Photo on X @hetalgalabjp)
Bengaluru: In an unfortunate development, an elderly cancer patient from Bengaluru took his own life reportedly after being denied the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) benefits to treat his lethal disease.
The 72-year-old man, a retired state government employee, who was diagnosed with cancer on December 10, died by suicide 15 days later. He had enrolled for the Rs 5 lakh cover under AB PM-JAY senior citizen scheme, which was declined by the hospital had forced him to take the extreme step, reports Times of India.
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The news portal quoted family members alleging that the the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO) hospital denied the benefits of the scheme due to the lack of order from the state government. “The AB PM-JAY senior citizen scheme is yet to be implemented; we are awaiting orders,” the media house quoted Dr. Ravi Arjunan, director in charge of KMIO. The state government has also reacted to the issue, saying that it is yet to implement the scheme while adding that it has sought clarification on the projects’ funding.
As per the AB PM-JAY scheme, Rs 5 lakh free insurance coverage was promised for people aged 70 years and above, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
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The family of the deceased cancer patient lamented that it cost him Rs 20,000 for the initial scans, and he was awaiting for further chemo sessions. They had planned on starting two rounds of chemo, and they were also ready to pay for it. “But then we lost him to suicide,” a family member said, highlighting that he is not saying the suicide was directly due to the unavailability of the benefits as he was already stressed.
Once diagnosed with a deadly disease like cancer, the disease itself would be a pressing source of depression for the patients. Adding to the worry, the huge treatment cost without a financial backup or the lack of support from a trusted source is, without any doubt, deteriorating the mental strength of the patients.
