The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on Thursday, said it has issued a notice to the Center and the Karnataka government over reports that a 72-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in December after a government hospital in Bengaluru “denied” him welfare benefits.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) found that what was written in the media report, if true, reveals a serious case of human rights violations.
Therefore, the NHRC has issued notices to the Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, and the chief secretary, government of Karnataka, seeking a detailed report within four weeks, the statement said.
These reports are expected to include the current status of implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme in Karnataka and other states and Union territories, the statement said.
The NHRC said “it has taken note of a media report that a 72-year-old man committed suicide on December 25, 2024, as the government-run Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru, Karnataka, refused to provide him. A cover of Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) had already enrolled”.
It is reported that the hospital “refused to benefit from this program for the elderly” and said that the government’s orders in this regard “have not yet arrived”, the rights group said in a statement.
A few other cases related to the problems of the beneficiaries of the AB PM-JAY scheme for the elderly were also mentioned in the news report, it added.
The AB PM-JAY program for senior citizens is designed to ensure good health care for the elderly, especially those who cannot afford hospital bills and the cost of special treatment and medicines, he said.
“If the elderly do not get help through a program aimed at their well-being, that may be like a violation of their right to health, which is the core of a dignified life,” said the statement.