A Chhattisgarh police constable who died 42 days ago received a WhatsApp message on his phone saying he was recovering and returning home, raising questions over the updating of patient records under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.Dev Narayan Ram, posted as a police constable in Chhattisgarh, was admitted to Ambikapur Medical College Hospital in Surguja on June 26. He died during treatment four days later, on June 30. His family performed his last rites and obtained his death certificate.However, 42 days after his death, his wife, Seema Kujur, received a message on his phone from the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) system.“Dear Dev Narayan Ram, we are happy that you are recovering and going home. We hope that you are satisfied with the free healthcare services provided under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY),” the message read, according to Seema.Seema subsequently posted a video on social media questioning how the system could have sent a recovery message to a person who had died more than a month earlier.“My husband was being treated at Ambikapur Medical Hospital and died during treatment. We have performed his last rites, and now, 42 days later, we are receiving messages saying he is recovering and returning home. How can such a major technical flaw occur? I want an investigation into this,” she said.Seema said the incident was particularly disturbing because she herself works at a hospital and understands the importance of maintaining accurate patient records.“If such an incident can happen to me, despite being a hospital employee, one can imagine what may happen to ordinary people and poor tribal communities,” she said.Hospital denies Ayushman misuseAmbikapur Medical College Hospital’s Dr Shailendra Gupta confirmed that Ram had been admitted and treated under the Ayushman Card scheme, reports India Today. However, he denied that the card was used or any payment was claimed for 42 days after the constable’s death.“The patient was being treated using the Ayushman card. He died after four days. The allegations made by the family are false. The amount was deducted from the Ayushman card only for four days during the treatment,” Gupta said.According to Gupta, only the amount corresponding to Ram’s four days of treatment was deducted under the scheme, and no additional amount was claimed after his death.He said the Ayushman Card record should ideally have been closed immediately after Ram’s death, but there was a delay by the data entry operator responsible for maintaining Ayushman-related records.“The allegation by his family that his card continued to be used for 42 days is completely incorrect. Only the amount corresponding to the four days for which the patient received treatment has been deducted,” Gupta said.The hospital said the employee responsible for the records has since been removed from handling Ayushman Card-related work.Gupta also explained that under the Ayushman Card process, packages can generate queries and may not automatically close until those queries are addressed.Family seeks investigationThe family, however, maintains that the incident reflects a serious lapse in the updating of records and has demanded a high-level, impartial investigation.Seema has sought strict action against anyone found responsible for negligence or discrepancies in the hospital or Ayushman records.The central question now is how an automated recovery message was generated 42 days after the patient’s death, despite the family having completed the necessary formalities and obtained an official death certificate. The hospital has denied any post-death financial claim under Ayushman Bharat, but the incident has raised concerns over record-management and monitoring under the scheme.