Family members of patients staged a protest outside ESIC Hospital in Rajajinagar on Saturday, seeking withdrawal of new rules put in place by the Centre.

Patients had protested over the matter in the past also. The Union government, in February, came out with a new set of rules which restricted free treatment to patients with pre-existing ailments such as cancer, renal failure. However, if the person contracts these ailments after availing the ESI card, he or she is entitled to treatment.

Local MLA S Suresh Kumar persuaded authorities not to stop treatment for patients with kidney ailments, for whom dialysis is the only hope. He said it was not only this branch, but ESIC hospitals across India that had received these orders. He said  he had written to Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya in this regard.

Dr Rachita Biswas, medical superintendent of the hospital, said they were helpless in this regard as the orders had come from the higher-ups.