Demonetisation: A Bitter Pill to Swallow for AIIMS Patients

When patients from all over India fail to get a healthy treatment, All India Institute of Medical Science, Delhi (AIIMS) always comes to rescue. But what if people remain untreated just because ‘cashless’ situation comes in way?

Shiv Kumar Paswan, a 70 years old kidney patient from Chapra-Bihar, is in Delhi for last 3 months but his life has worsened over the past 30 days. Since he has ended up with whatever money he had, he had to take up the option of loan for the interest 10 percent of total amount, and that has added up to 2 to 3 lakh already. Now Shiv is waiting for more than a week outside the emergency ward with no required money to get treated. He said- “I need around 5,000 each day for my treatment and now I have nothing, I am soon going to die.”

Mukesh Kumar, who is the only attendant with Shiv Kumar, said, “ we are from poor family and having no bank account either, earlier at least money was available on high interest rate, but now, even those people also refusing to lend at any rate. People like us have fallen into trap and are on verge of collapse.” he concluded with a quivering voice.

Mukesh Kumar Paswan and Shiv Kumar Paswan waiting outside the emergency of AIIMS

Since its establishment, 6 decades ago, AIIMS has been the Mecca for medical patients across the country. And this drove Mawarlal Jatav and his wife from Madhya Pradesh to get treated his eye in OPD this weekend. However, he claimed the recommendation letter of JyotiradityaeScindia which will help him from any financial barrier. He said, “Our Babuhas did this, keeping cashless situation in mind, yet we’re facing great problems when buying food with limited cash.”

Mawar Lal Jatav with his wife

Everyone is not lucky enough and DinkarYadav, a Lucknow resident, is definitely not among them. He is roaming around AIIMS for his father’s surgery and has to rush back home twice since the announcement of invaliding banknotes of 500 as well as of 1000. He says, “I was carrying 15 thousand of cash mostly of 1000’s note, but unexpectedly I have to way back home to carry all the necessary stuffs for surviving. I even carried grocery to save my little exchanged cash”. He further says, “it’s a great relief that hospital is accepting old notes, but for medicines, I have to spend those new one as I have no ATM card either”.

Zarina, an elderly patient from Saraharpur is in AIIMS for an operation to remove her kidney stone. She says, “I am paying very little and it is a great relief for poors like us, but my son is facing severe difficulties in living with me, although he has ATM card and but every day he has to spent many hours in search of cash in ATM machines and many times he fails in bringing cash.”

Other than migrated patients, locals too are facing different kind of problems.Rahul Kumar said he along with his mother is moving up and down from Indeapuri to AIIMS for more than 20 days. His brother is admitted for treatment of lungs. “I am the only earning member in my family and I am solely responsible for arranging all the finance. Since demonitisation, it has become really tough to mobilise cash even though I have my own bank account. Especially standing in long queues outside ATM in such hectic schedule is not an option.” he concluded.

However, the level of inconvenience is not same for everyone. Another vegetable vender from Tughlaqabad, has been lying outside emergency ward for a week. Mobeen Yusuf is suffering from leg injury. He said he has 5 kids and all are school going. “I was earning nothing less than 3,000 with sufficient profit per day, but after Prime Minister’s decision to invalidate the banknotes of 500 and 1000, I am hurt most, my sale has dropped drastically and debt is rising. My family is ending with the past savings and I am earning no more. No one cares for people like us” he further said.

It’s not only patients at AIIMS who are suffering but the businessmen associated with these patients are equally depressed. My sale has dropped by half since demonitisation. Earlier my customer were buying my chat plates worth Rs.20 but now most of the customers have shifted to plate of Rs.10” said Manvir Yadav, a snacks vender outside AIIMS gate. He further adds, “I don’t know what will be the impact of this decision of invalidating certain currencies but I am sure, my business will ruin in few days.”

Manvir Yadav selling his snacks outside the AIIMS gate

The drug shops outside the AIIMS gate are one of the biggest drug providers to patients and their business largely runs through their purchase. On the promise of anonymity, a drug seller said, “I am really irritated to see big notes of 2,000. We already had scarcity of small banknotes like 50 and 100 but now we are mentally depressed. Because of new banknotes, our trade is dropping, we are forced to refuse. Many customers, when having no smaller notes to give, return their purchase.”

Medical shops outside the AIIMS

Another drug seller in the row said, “We are not accepting old banknotes but offering card swipe machine for digital payments. However, using this adds up extra financial cost to us and I am forced to pay additional amount to my bank for using this machine, when my business already dropping.

Meanwhile, the degree of inconvenience is varying between those plastic money holders and those whose lives run mostly on cash.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author's personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Newsclick