Devnarayan Ram died on June 30 while undergoing treatment at Ambikapur Medical College; 42 days later, his wife received an Ayushman Bharat message saying he had recovered and was returning home.
The hospital blamed a delayed claim closure by a data entry operator, who has since been removed from Ayushman-related work.
The hospital denied any post-death treatment claim, saying only Rs 16,700 was utilised during Ram’s four-day hospital stay, but his family has demanded an investigation into the record-keeping lapse.
42 Days After His Death, Ayushman Bharat Told Chhattisgarh Constable's Family He Was ‘Recovering’
How a delayed hospital record update triggered an automated recovery message for a man whose family had already performed his last rites
Summary
Devnarayan Ram, a constable from Jashpur district, died on June 30 while undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Ambikapur, Surguja. His family received his death certificate and performed his last rites.
Then, on August 10, his wife Seema Kujur received a message on her husband’s phone.
“Dear Devnarayan Ram, we are happy that you have recovered and are returning home,” the automated message said, according to The Indian Express. It went on to refer to the free healthcare services provided under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).
For Kujur, who herself works as a nurse at a government hospital in Jashpur, the message was more than a bizarre technological error. It raised questions over how quickly — and accurately — patient records are updated under the government’s flagship health insurance scheme.
He had been dead for 42 days
Kujur had admitted Ram to the Ambikapur medical college hospital on June 26. He died four days later, on June 30, while receiving treatment, as per news reports.
The family completed the formalities following his death, including obtaining his death certificate and conducting his last rites.
Yet the Ayushman system continued to carry his treatment record until August.
“My husband was being treated at Ambikapur Medical Hospital and died during treatment. We have performed his last rites, and now, 42 days later, we are receiving messages saying he is recovering and returning home,” Kujur said in a video message, calling for an investigation.
She questioned how such a significant discrepancy could occur in a government healthcare system.
“If such an incident can happen to me, despite being a hospital employee, one can imagine what may happen to ordinary people and poor tribal communities,” she said.
Hospital blames delayed data entry
The hospital has denied that Ram’s Ayushman card was used for 42 days or that any treatment was claimed after his death.
Hospital authorities said the problem arose because the Ayushman claim was not closed on the portal immediately after Ram died. The claim was eventually closed on August 6, weeks after his death.
Advertisement
According to hospital officials, the delay was linked to the data entry operator handling Ayushman-related records. The subsequent update triggered the automated message informing Ram that he had recovered and was returning home.
Dr Shailendra Gupta of the hospital said Ram was treated under the Ayushman scheme from June 26 until his death on June 30, and that only the amount corresponding to those four days was deducted from his card.
“The allegation by his family that his card continued to be used for 42 days is completely incorrect,” Gupta said.
The hospital said the data entry operator should have closed or blocked the patient’s record following his death and has since been removed from handling Ayushman-related work. The operator had reportedly been hired on collector-rate terms.
No post-death claim, hospital says
The hospital said only ICU and blood transfusion packages worth Rs 16,700 were utilised under the scheme during Ram’s hospital stay. It said Rs 4,74,800 remained available in his Ayushman card account.
Advertisement
Officials also pointed out that treatment-related processes under the scheme involve biometric and OTP verification, with records accessible through the patient’s Ayushman card.
The hospital has now written to the state nodal agency in New Raipur seeking verification of records of deceased patients before automated messages are generated.
For Kujur, however, the issue goes beyond whether money was wrongly claimed.
She has sought a high-level and impartial inquiry into the lapse and strict action against anyone found responsible, arguing that a system capable of telling a grieving family that a dead man is “recovering” demands scrutiny.
The hospital maintains that it was a delayed record update, not fraudulent treatment billing. But the strange message has exposed a basic question at the heart of the controversy: how did a man who had been dead for 42 days remain “alive” in the system long enough for Ayushman Bharat to welcome him home?
Advertisement
Published At: