City hospital detains MHIS beneficiary

SHILLONG: Yet another case of discrepancy in the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) surfaced on Monday when a patient was denied full reimbursement after he underwent treatment at Nazareth Hospital here.

KL Nonglait, who hails from the remote village of Sngi Mawlein under Mawkyrwat in South West Khasi Hills district has been detained by the hospital authorities for three days now following his inability to pay the balance amount of over Rs 4000 despite the fact that the maximum limit for treatment is Rs 1.6 lakh as fixed by the insurance company (ICICI Lombard).

Nonglait was admitted in the hospital on June 4 and was supposed to be discharged on June 8. However, he was not allowed to leave as the hospital authorities informed him that the insurance company had only reimbursed Rs 2000 and he had to pay the remaining balance of over Rs 4000.

Since Nonglait, a beneficiary of the MHIS, was unable to pay the balance amount, the hospital authorities detained him.

“I have been stuck here for three days now. I was supposed to be discharged on Saturday last but as I could not pay the required amount, I have no other choice but to stay here,” Nonglait said disappointedly.

Nonglait lambasted the implementing body of this scheme for cheating the people, especially those who reside in the rural areas, with big promises and assurances.

“I have been cheated by the Government, something which I never expected,” Nonglait added.

It may be mentioned that this is not the first time that anomalies in the MHIS have hit the headlines.

On May 29, a patient was denied full reimbursement after she underwent treatment at the same hospital and she had to foot the hospital bill worth Rs 3,004.

In another case in May, a patient was held back by the hospital authorities as he could not clear the hospital bill and was released only after full payment was made by the insurance company, few days after the matter was reported in a section of the press. The discrepancies in the much-hyped scheme have drawn the attentions of many including the FKJGP and the BJP who have demanded immediate clarification from the government on the ongoing anomalies. The State Government, however, is yet to come out with any clarification on the glaring anomalies that have dogged the MHIS since its launch in April.