Gul Owais
Srinagar: The much-hyped golden cards here have become a mockery at the private hospital with attendants alleging that their patient was refused to undergo surgery at one of the prominent hospitals here after they provided golden card details to the hospital administration for medical benefits.
A private hospital here in Srinagar allegedly jeopardized the life of a patient from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the attendants claimed, adding that after completing all the formalities even the patient was ready for the surgery, wearing uniform, they were told that the table at the Operation Theatre is not available.
Talking to Precious Kashmir, Feroz Ahmad, an attendant, hailing from Pulwama said that his wife had stone in gallbladder for which she had to undergo a surgery today, the date given by the hospital administration itself.
“We were asked to reach the hospital today (Sunday) morning for surgery. Soon after we reached here, we completed all the formalities and even the patient was ready wearing a uniform,” Ahmad said.
He said, however, they were all of a sudden told that there is no table available at the hospital for today. “We were shocked to hear when we were told that the table is not available for the day. I fail to understand why our patient was asked to reach the hospital and why we were asked to complete all other formalities when the table was not available,” he said.
Feroz Ahmad said that the indirect refusal for the surgery had only one reason i.e. golden card. “Everything was going on normally, but when the hospital administration saw the golden card details written on the admission card under MRD number 6136, they told us that the table is not available,” he said.
“Such is the height that nobody paid heed towards the suffering of a patient as well as nobody from the hospital administration bothered to look into the matter rather we were being given lame excuses,” he said, adding that his patient was forced to leave the hospital wearing the uniform, saying that the condition of the patient forced them to visit another hospital for the surgery today.
“The government had come up with better facilities in the shape of golden cards, but the private hospitals are indirectly refusing the treatment, thus adding to the miseries of the people as well as putting the lives of the patients at risk,” he said.
Meanwhile, the hospital administration refuted the allegations, saying that as per the norms, the Operation Theatre had to be closed in certain cases when a patient who undergoes the surgery is tested positive for HBSC positive or HCV positive.
“We told the attendant that the surgery will be conducted to the patient and the benefits as per golden cards will be provided to them. We had to close the theatre today as well, thus simultaneously the attendants were told that the surgery will be conducted after some days, after which he raised hue and cry,” Manager of the hospital Tawqeer Ahmad said.
