The blocking of a 53 year-old man’s National Health Insurance (NHI) card over payment defaults has caused him to endure serious work-related ailments.
The Aborigine patient, surnamed Chung (鍾), reportedly asked doctor Lu Shao-ta (呂紹達) for help at Lu’s clinic in Hsinchu County on Friday.
Upon seeing Chung’s condition, Lu decided to treat Chung free of charge.
Chung is a laborer who does mostly piecemeal work at construction sites.
Lu said Chung came to his clinic with a festering cut caused by a piece of metal at a construction site a month ago.
As Chung has diabetes, the wound had not healed properly.
Given that his NHI card was suspended, he did not to seek treament at the hospital, Chung said.
The pain had become unbearable, he said, adding that as the economy is bad, he can hardly find work.
Upon hearing of the incident, Tseng Li-chuan (曾麗娟), an officer with the National Health Insurance Bureau, said that people can apply for the Underprivileged Medical Treatment Program (toll- free inquiry: 0800-030598) to reinstate their health insurance so that they can seek treatment at hospitals and so that incurred medical expenses can be deferred to a later date.
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