Shillong: Digital requirements for government identification are preventing children in rural Meghalaya from receiving emergency medical care and insurance benefits. The Federation of Khasi, Jaintia & Garo People (FKJGP) has formally requested that the state government stop healthcare facilities from withholding treatment due to a child's lack of an Aadhaar card.
FKJGP president Dundee Cliff Khongsit addressed a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the State Nodal Agency-MHIS detailing how hospitals are refusing care even when parents are enrolled in the Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme. Many families in remote areas cannot obtain cards for their children because local enrollment centers suffer from consistent technical failures, staff shortages, and slow processing times.
For low-income families, the process often requires missing work and spending limited funds on repeated trips to centers that may not even be functional. The situation becomes dire during late-night emergencies when families cannot provide instant Aadhaar verification, causing delays in essential diagnostic tests and life-saving procedures.
Khongsit emphasized the impact of these bureaucratic hurdles, noting, "Despite parents possessing valid Aadhaar cards, hospitals continue to insist on documentation for children, creating unnecessary obstacles for those seeking urgent medical assistance."
The organization is calling on the Health Department to mandate that hospitals accept parental Aadhaar details or alternative identification to ensure minors receive immediate care. Beyond changing admission policies, the FKJGP urged the government to improve rural enrollment infrastructure by increasing staffing and providing better oversight of regional registration counters.
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