'Mariyam's relatives yet to seek help on bills'

 Officials in the chief minister’s relief fund section have denied having received any correspondence from the family of Mariyam Kausar, the three-year-old girl who became victim of alleged medical negligence, for shifting her to a Singapore hospital for further treatment. 

Mariyam’s relative B S Rafiulla had said that the family had written to the chief minister last month, a copy of which was marked to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, U T Khader, requesting that the child be moved to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for further treatment under the State government’s expenses. 

But officials in the chief minister’s relief fund section said on Monday they were unaware of anything of that sort. They said three reminders were sent to the family, one each in February, April and March, stating that they had to submit original medical bills to claim the reimbursement. 

“The family did not get back to us despite that. The chief minister had suggested that Rs two lakh be released for the child’s medical needs. If they come with appropriate documents and a ration card, the funds will be given within half an hour,” a senior official said. 

Rafiulla said that they did not submit documents as they had not sought help from the government. “ Our only demand is to shift the child to Singapore for treatment,” he added.