A cancer patient is being denied insurance claim for using alternative therapy
Twelve cycles of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiation therapy did not help 45-year-old government employee Arshiya Khan’s fight against cancer. When everything else failed, she consulted an Unani practitioner and is now on her way to recovery.
That development may be a life-saver, but Khan’s biggest worry now is footing the bills. Her previous treatment was reimbursed by the government through health insurance. However, the policy does not cover any alternative streams of medicine. Saddled with medical bills amounting to Rs35,000 in the last two months, her family is worried about the expenses. Khan took up the matter with the public health department of the state government, which told her it would only be possible with a new government resolution and cabinet approval. But that never happened. “Everyone said insurance policies are cagey about non-allopathic treatment,” said Khan.
Till recently, public companies offered limited cover for alternative treatment under Mediclaim, but now it’s outside the purview of most insurance policies. The criteria, then, was that Ayurvedic, Unani or homoeopathic hospitals, should at least have 15 beds or be registered with the local body.
Read the remaining at Source: dnaindia
