Patna: Paras HMRI on Wednesday refunded Rs 1.5 lakh that army jawan Arun Kumar Rai's family had deposited for his treatment at the hospital.
The Telegraph had reported in its March 14 edition how shocked Arun's family was to find the hospital had claimed it would treat the jawan for free as a gesture towards the armed forces. The family had paid Rs 50,000 on admission on Sunday and Rs 1 lakh on Monday for Arun's operation.
Facility director Dr Talat Halim said: "The army jawan who was seriously wounded and brought to Paras with a gunshot injury in the neck is slowly recovering after surgery. He is on minimal life support. As promised, the Paras administration has refunded the amount taken from the relatives at the time of admission.
"The hospital administration as a gesture to the Indian Army has decided to refund the money. The hospital stands for its commitment to being a beacon of strength towards all sections of society. The hospital has 60-minute free emergency for stabilisation and resuscitation," Dr Halim added.
Arun's family was also happy that the hospital refunded the medical expenses incurred on his treatment. Munna Kumar, Arun's brother in-law, said: "The hospital administration has refunded the money. On Wednesday morning a team of doctors and hospital officials visited the ward where the patient is admitted and handed over the cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh to the patient family members."
The hospital also waived Rs 70,000 medical expenses on Arun. Munna added: "The patient's is stable and he is recovering under observation."
Arun, 30, was shot in the neck around 3.30am on Sunday when he was on his way back to Sasaram after attending a wedding in Patna. Paras HMRI doctors removed the bullet on Monday and admitted him to the ICU. The attack near Chiraiyatand bridge - under Gandhi Maidan police station and a few hundred metres from a police patrol party - has exposed the city cops' claims of night policing.
No one has yet been arrested. Superintendent of police (central) D. Amarkesh said: "The police have collected vital clues and are working on it. No arrests have been made yet."
