Dimapur, February 21 (MExN): Former Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) President K Therie has stated that that Ayushman Bharat Card promises cashless treatment and hospitalisation in any of the empanelled hospitals. “This expressly means any citizen possessing an Ayushman Card after hospitalisation would receive free treatment. There is no bill attached to the scheme,” he said in a press release.
“In Nagaland, patients and corpses are billed for medicines, X-rays, CT scan, MRI, blood and other laboratory tests, etc. This scheme should be corrected accordingly to ensure cashless treatment to patients,” Therie stated.“The funding pattern in the Northeast is 90%-10% GOI-State. It is very hard for the State to give the least benefits to the citizens. For government employees and pensioners, the government is deducting at source for the scheme,” he stated.
Therie also said that for the unemployed and farmers, the State government should bear the funding. Every coin that comes from the Center comes in the name of the public. Every coin that is collected through tax is paid by the public. The scheme is to help the sick as they cannot help themselves after hospitalisation. “Government should not expect bedridden patients or dead bodies to pay bills,” he added.
