Assured aid at Hry CM’s event 5 days ago, cancer patient dies

Chandigarh: A blood cancer patient, whose family had recently approached Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar seeking healthcare assistance for him, died in Narnaul on Tuesday. Khattar had on May 25, during his Jan Samvad programme in Narnaul, directed the local authorities and health officials to help the patient and his family. A government spokesperson said as per the preliminary report submitted by the Narnaul civil surgeon, patient Parveen Kumar was suffering from leukaemia, which had progressed to advanced stage. “Every possible medical support was given to the patient and his attendant,” the spokesperson added.Kumar, who belonged to a below poverty line (BPL) family, was being looked after by his sister as their parents had died. While seeking adequate support, his sister had told Khattar that certain hospitals were not honouring the Ayushman card to treat Kumar for cancer. The CM had then directed the local authorities to take up the matter with PGIMS in Rohtak or AIIMS in Jhajjar. People aware of Kumar’s case said that his condition had deteriorated in the past three days and he required an immediate blood transfusion and additional medical support. They claimed that even after Khattar’s verbal assurance, his sister had been running pillar to post seeking assistance from the health department as well as the local administration. “The patient was already sick, but his sister still had some hope of his survival, for which she made all the efforts. It is unfortunate that despite CM’s order, nothing much was done,” said a person privy to the development.