A child from Begusarai, Bihar, had a major delay in cardiac surgery. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently sent a notice to the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and the secretary of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare about this. The length of this delay—nearly six years—has raised questions about potential abuses of human rights as well as structural problems with India’s public healthcare system.
When the boy in question, Aayansh, was three months old, his parents took him to AIIMS-Delhi, where he was given a serious heart diagnosis. Even though Aayansh’s medical demands are urgent, he is still six years old and in need of the necessary operation. Ankit Kumar, his father, spoke with The Hindu about their experience and disclosed the significant financial and emotional costs incurred due to the protracted postponement. Kumar had to sell his farm in 2019 in order to raise the ₹60,000 needed for the operation—amounts that had been saved in preparation of the procedure. But because the surgery has been continually rescheduled, the family from Begusarai, their birthplace, is now stuck in a pricey cycle of frequent travels to Delhi.
Ankit Kumar explained how much of a burden these travels have been for his family. They were told to visit AIIMS for testing and check-ups every three months after the first diagnosis in 2018. The cost of each visit, including travel, lodging, and medical fees, ranges from ₹10,000 to ₹15,000. Because of the time required for these frequent journeys, these visits have not only exhausted their financial resources but also cost Kumar his job as an assistant at a medical shop. The child’s illness has severely limited his physical activity, which has had an influence on his quality of life. Kumar claims that Aayansh’s heart problem has slowed his general growth and that he is unable to walk more than fifteen steps without being out of breath.
A report outlining these delays led to the NHRC’s intervention, and this in turn spurred AIIMS to get in touch with Kumar to arrange the much-needed surgery. Since then, Kumar has purchased tickets for June 26 in the hopes that his son may finally find comfort and recuperation during this visit.
Given that AIIMS is a top-tier, publicly funded healthcare facility, the NHRC has described this delay as a grave violation of human rights. While acknowledging the difficulties public hospitals across the country confront, the commission stressed in its notice how unacceptable it is for a young child to have to wait over six years for necessary surgery. This story highlights a larger problem with the healthcare system, wherein administrative obstacles and resource shortages can cause significant treatment delays, which have a significant negative impact on patients’ lives and the human cost of systemic inefficiencies and the importance of upholding the right to timely and adequate healthcare.
As of the reporting period, AIIMS had not replied to the notice from the NHRC. The case’s conclusion might be used as a critical yardstick for evaluating and enhancing the accountability and responsiveness of public healthcare facilities in India. It is hoped that patients like Aayansh will receive the prompt care they require and deserve with increased oversight and involvement from organizations like the NHRC, and that more extensive structural changes will be put in place to stop similar delays in the future.
SOURCE:
THE ECONOMIC TIMES
