Treatment prices continue to inflate in private hospitals, amidst the rising cases of coronavirus in India. India claims to facilitate more than 1.9 million hospitals, 95 thousand ICU beds, and 48 thousand ventilators, yet the low-income families are prone to suffer as always and deprived of healthcare facilities, owing to poverty and negligence.
Among several other cases, Jitender Singh, an Indian politician and social worker who is also known to cremate the dead bodies of COVID-19 addresses another incident that eventuated in Holy Family Hospital, Delhi.
An underprivileged family of four reportedly admitted the then late father Shree Babulal in this private hospital, only to find out later that the hospital has refused to consign the dead body to his family members even after being remunerated with four lakh rupees for the hospital charges.
The family has sold off their property namely jewellery and devoted all their savings for the treatment. They could only scrape four lakh rupees all together. The hospital and the doctors raised their disputes over an additional 3.5 lakhs which if the family defaulted to pay so, would not be allowed to cremate their dead father.
Rendered helpless, the poor family turns to Jitendra Singh, founder of Bhagat Singh Sena Dal that has been associating with cremating unclaimed bodies and blood donation. Bhagat Singh reached Holy Family hospital along with his team members and protested against the cruelty in the time of crisis until the medical staff and authorities gave in. The family designated the kind Sikh man ‘God’ and obliged for his gratefulness.
Jitendra Singh in his video grieves how private hospitals in Delhi are engaging in such barbaric etiquette towards poor and needy families and exploiting them in the need of the hour.
