Double blow for cancer patients

Double blow for cancer patients
Goa Govt Defaults On Mediclaim, Mumbai Hospital Shuns Victims
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: On May 9, when Alan (61) called Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, to fix an appointment with a doctor for his 50-year-old wife who’s suffering from lung cancer, they refused to entertain him saying that they have stopped treating mediclaim patients referred from Goa.
Alan rushed to the directorate of health services, which told him that they have cleared the bills and also gave him a fresh letter stating that his wife should be given the necessary treatment .
Armed with this letter, Alan flew to Mumbai on Friday. On reaching the central government hospital, the authorities refused to treat her. “They told me that the Goa government has so far not paid them about Rs 63 lakh and they wouldn’t be admitting any patient from Goa till the government clears the pending bills,” said Alan.
Meanwhile another patient who had gone to Mumbai around the first week of May was sent back for the same reason. “They told me that they would treat me if I was ready to pay the bills. I tried to reason but in vain,” said Maria D’Souza. Finally, she came back to Goa without treatment.
Cancer is a major worry in Goa at least one person in the state is detected with the disease every day. Every year about 25% of these patients are referred to Tata Memorial. But they are being shown the door at the hospital.
Health authorities accept that there has been a lapse in clearing the bills because of a ‘procedural delay’. “Generally if there is any problem, the patients call us. So far I have not got any such complaints,” said director of health services Dr Rajnanda Dessai.
“If such a thing is happening, it is nothing but red tapism. Cancer patients can’t be denied treatment and if they are being denied treatment by Tata Memorial because we have not cleared the mediclaim bills, that’s not right. I will personally look into the matter and if anyone is found guilty, I will suspend the official responsible for the mess,” said health minister Vishwajit Rane. The government gives a mediclaim of Rs 1.5 lakh to cancer patients.
Tata Memorial director Dr K Dinshaw said, “I am not aware of this and I have no comments to offer.” When told that some officials in Goa admit this is happening, she said, “There’s nothing official about it.”
Patients with leukaemia, in need of bone marrow transplant, requiring high chemotherapy or radiotherapy or those needing a second opinion are referred to Tata Memorial. Goan cancer patients in dilemma at Mumbai
Panaji: Cancer patients from Goa are being denied treatment at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital as the state government has failed to clear mediclaim dues.
“I didn’t expect this sort of a treatment from the people friendly Goa government.
I am retired and that’s why I am dependent on the government mediclaim, but government authorities shouldn’t play with our lives,” said the husband of a cancer patient who had been denied treatment.
People working towards the treatment of cancer are not impressed with these developments. “This is a total neglect by the government.
Cancer patients can’t wait, any delay is dangerous and they need to be treated immediately.
You can’t play with the life of the people,” said National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication general secretary Dr Shekhar Salkar.
Interestingly, like Tata Memorial, many private hospitals in Goa are also yet to receive mediclaim money, but they have not denied treatment to patients.
Sini Kutty from NUSI hospital said, “It’s been more than two years and nearly Rs 75 to Rs 85 lakh are pending.
We were planning to take a policy decision not to treat mediclaim patients because we are now in a deep financial mess because of this delay. But we decided against it as the patients will suffer.”
Apollo Victor CEO Bismarc Martins said that approximately Rs 1 crore is pending. “If we stop, patients will die, but the government won’t suffer,” said Martins.
“In the last six months we started mediclaim scheme for kidney dialysis and almost Rs 15 lakh mediclaim money is pending,” added Dr Digambar Naik from Vrundavan hospital. The most common forms of cancer detected in Goa are of the head and neck, while incidents of breast cancer are high amongst women.

2008 May 17 Times Of India Goa