Bhopal: Delay In MoU Hinder Free Cancer Treatment To Gas Victims At AIIMS

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Despite High Court order, Bhopal Gas Tragedy survivors victims are not getting free treatment for cancer at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal as the ace medical institute and gas relief department are yet to ink an MoU in this direction. There are around 5 lakh survivors of the tragedy and out of them around 13,000 are cancer patients, according to NGOs working for the gas victims, said Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group of Information and Action (BGIA). Despite HC order, the gas victims suffering from cancer are not getting free treatment in AIIMS.

The MoU has to be signed with the AIIMS-Bhopal management before these patients can start getting free treatment there, she added. AIIMS director Dr Ajai Singh said that they are ready to provide full treatment to the cancer patients but who will foot the bill? “For free treatment, there must be a MoU between the state government and AIIMS administration. Once the agreement is signed, then the AIIMS will be able to put up the bill on the medical treatment provided to the cancer patient,” said the director.

Speaking on the matter, Chief Medical officer gas relief department Dr K S Rajput pointed at another issue saying that even after MoU, it will not benefit cancer patients as AIIMS takes much time for diagnosis and then starting the treatment. “There are two parts for treatment of cancer patients. First is the diagnostic and the other treatment part. AIIMS takes time in diagnosis as it has a token system.

So, it may take months for a cancer patient for his/her turn for diagnosis. In state level other hospitals, we tell doctors for speedy diagnosis and treatment but in AIIMS, we do not have any say. However, the process is on for MoU. Recently we have sent a patient after online approval.” Speaking on the same lines, Dhingra said that if AIIMS takes much time for diagnoses, the patients will go to BMHRC and other cancer hospitals like JawaharLal cancer Hospital. The matter is only for treatment. There must be a MoU with AIIMS, Bhopal.  

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