- Indians are turning to crowdfunding to pay the steep hospital bills racked up as a result of Covid infections, according to Astha Rajvanshi.
- After exhausting his health insurance, credit cards and and bank loans, the 35-year-old turned to Ketto, a crowdfunding platform, and launched a fundraiser.
- “I worked hard to support my family and never asked anyone for help,” Mr Yeruva said. “Even now, I’m embarrassed to tell people about this fundraiser.”
BBC News writes:
“Hospitalisations soared in India during a deadly second Covid wave. Now, hobbled by patchy insurance, Indians are turning to crowdfunding to pay the steep medical bills, reports Astha Rajvanshi.
Supraja Reddy Yeruva was unable to breathe properly for days after giving birth to her second child in June. The 27-year-old began showing Covid-19 symptoms during her pregnancy, shortly after visiting a hospital for a routine check-up.
Soon, she contracted a severe lung infection and was admitted in the ICU at a private hospital in the southern city of Hyderabad. A month on, she is still there.
With their six-year-old daughter and newborn son, her husband, Vijaya Yeruva, now anxiously waits for her recovery.
Mr Yeruva is also scrambling to pay a hefty medical bill of nearly 6m rupees (£58,636; $80,615) for his wife’s treatment. And the amount goes up by the day.
He used his health insurance, maxed out his credit cards and borrowed from the bank. After exhausting every other option, the 35-year-old turned to Ketto, a crowdfunding platform, and launched a fundraiser.
An engineer with a steady monthly income of $2,960. Mr Yeruva said he never imagined asking strangers for money.
“I worked hard to support my family and never asked anyone for help,” he said. “Even now, I’m embarrassed to tell people about this fundraiser.”
His desperation reflects the plight of thousands of Indian families who now face the collateral damage from India’s devastating second Covid wave: crushing medical debt…”
See full story here.
Categories: International, Tech
Economic Left 
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