Shillong, Jun 16: The Federation of Khasi, Jaintia & Garo People (FKJGP) has urged the state government to issue instructions to all healthcare institutions and departments that essential medical services must not be denied or delayed due to non-availability of Aadhaar for minor children.
The FKJGP said parents and guardians residing in rural areas are facing hardships and inconvenienced because they are forced to produce Aadhaar cards for minor children to avail medical services under the MHIS scheme, admissions, documentation or emergency-related services.
FKJGP president Dundee Cliff Khongsit in a letter to the Chief Executive Officer, State Nodal Agency-Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme referred to the Supreme Court order that Aadhaar is not mandatory for availing of essential services. He said despite this many rural citizens continue to face unnecessary difficulties and delays.
While the parents themselves are valid Aadhaar card holders, they are still being subjected to repeated demands for their children’s Aadhaar documentation even in urgent situations involving healthcare and emergencies, he said, adding, such practices unfairly target the economically weaker sections and rural populations who already face challenges relating to accessibility and infrastructure.
The FKJGP said the situation is aggravated by the poor functioning of Aadhaar enrolment and update centres in several block-level departments as many registration counters function extremely slowly with long waiting periods while some remain non-functional for days due to technical failures, connectivity issues, or shortage of operators, compelling rural citizens to travel long distances multiple times without assurance of successful enrolment.
Further, parents with infants and young children face immense physical and financial hardship due to repeated visits. Lack of proper communication regarding operational status and documentation requirements causes confusion among the public.
The FKJGP said in emergency medical situations, delays arising from Aadhaar-related demands may potentially endanger lives and emergency admission during late hours where the MHIS counter is closed. Daily wage earners and economically vulnerable families suffer loss of income due to repeated visits to enrolment centres, the organisation said.
Calling for an alternative form of identification or that parent Aadhaar details should be accepted, the FKJGP also urged the state to strengthen and streamline Aadhaar enrolment facilities in rural and block-level areas and to increase the number of operational enrolment centres and technical staff and to monitor and improve the accountability and functioning of existing registration counters.
