Hospitals Seeking Aadhaar For Services

Despite clear instructions by the UIDAI that public services cannot be denied for patients without an Aadhaar card, it still seems to be linked to medical treatment.But still the Aadhaar card continues to be embedded in controversy as hospitals still ask for the Aadhaar card at the time of admitting a patient.Sai Kishore, a junior doctor says, “We do ask patients for their Aadhaar card to ensure that the details entered in the hospital form is correct. If a patient is to be admitted, we ask for the Adhaar card to fill in details in their case sheet. It is common for hospitals to ask the same when patients are conducting cashless transactions of huge amounts as well.”

“We do not refuse treatment if one does not have it, but it does cause a delay in certain instances. But we ensure that the doctor deals with the patient while we verify details,” says a senior doctor at a government hospital.“Aadhaar is a decision to be made by each hospital’s management. And everyone is trying to be accommodating. Making the Aadhaar compulsory for treatment will cause a lot of problems for many patients,” says Sanmita Sneha, a PG doctor.

UIDAI officials have asked citizens to ensure that they file a complaint in case of refusal of treatment.