Man dies waiting for kidney transplant in Varanasi, despite PM's aid
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Varanasi, July 05 (ANI): A man who received funding from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for a kidney transplant, died waiting for treatment in Varanasi. The deceased, Santosh Kumar, was 33-year-old at the time of his demise on Wednesday. His sister Rita had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office for financial assistance after both his kidneys had failed. Rita, also his donor, used to take her brother to Lucknow city, where he was undergoing dialysis at a state-run hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPI). But as his condition worsened, Rita said she appealed to doctors for a transplant, but her pleas were repeatedly turned down citing lack of funds. She said that the PMO granted her rupees 2.17 lakhs (USD 3,420) for the surgery that cost over rupees four lakhs (USD 6,305). Despite rapid economic growth in the last 20 years, the government spends only about 1 percent of gross domestic product on healthcare. Government hospitals are overcrowded and lack resources to meet the growing demand, while access to basic health services in rural areas and smaller towns remains poor.
