NEW DELHI: Baishnob Das from Tripura feels alienated in Delhi. A Bengali by birth, Hindi never came naturally to this middle-aged man from the small town of Udaipur in Tripura.The peril of not knowing Hindi turned out to be a big hurdle for this rickshaw puller. Here at AIIMS for medical treatment of his mother who is diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, Das had to translate his family’s Below Poverty Line (BPL) card, issued in Bengali, either in Hindi or English for availing free medical check-ups.
It turned out to be a costly affair, said Das, as translating the document shaved off more than Rs 1,000 from his hard-earned savings.
“Some people suggested going to the notary shops at Kashmiri market, next to INA market. I went there but was told that I need to dictate in either of the two languages to the typist. I don’t know Hindi, nor could they read Bangla,” he told this newspaper.
Das vividly remembers how he had to reach out to another family from West Bengal’s Malda district, who could speak Hindi, for all sorts of help.“It was back in February, when we arrived for the first time. The treatment was halted because the authorities told us to get the BPL card translated else, they won’t do further routine check-ups. For around eight-nine days, I kept looking for someone who could help us. But, at AIIMS, mostly the people are from Bihar and UP. It was God’s grace that we found a man who was willing to accompany me to the shop for translation,” he said.
At the shop, Das realised that the notary shops often charge about Rs 200 per page, something which is exorbitant for the BPL families who are already burdened with little savings.“I came to AIIMS to save money and get treated, but had to spend around Rs 1,200 to get it translated. I did it for my parents so that they are on safer side. Even that amount matters to us. Plus, the medicine charges, food and accommodation. And if the documents are wrongly translated then again we need to get it corrected,”
he stated.
Many poor patients coming from non-Hindi speaking states face similar trouble. There are some shops at Kashmiri Market, nearest from AIIMS, where the patients usually head for translating BPL cards.The reporter visited some of the shops to check the shops which are into the business of notary work, including translations.
“We cannot translate on our own. If the family can speak in Hindi or English and dictate us, we do it. Many patients come here for this purpose. We charge around Rs 200 per page,” said one of the shop-owners at the market.
However, one of the shop owners claimed that he did not charge money from anyone belonging to BPL families.
An official from AIIMS said that even though most of the facilities are free, certain tests and diagnostics are chargeable. Any individual with BPL card can avail the chargeable tests and diagnostics for free, he said.
NHRC’s bid to help
The National Human Rights Commission asked food ministry secretary and chief secretaries of all states and UTs to submit a report on issuing bilingual ration cards to BPL card holders.
It also asked the Secretary of Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to submit a report on opening a dedicated counter for the BPL card holders in central government hospitals.