Fact Check: Delhi Gurdwara’s free dialysis centre is not ‘opening tomorrow’, it’s already working
Guru Harkrishan Institute of Medical Sciences and Research’s new kidney dialysis centre at Delhi’s Gurdwara Bala Sahib was inaugurated in March 2021. The India TV video rightly informs about the hospital’s opening in 2021, but it has been reshared by social media users claiming the centre is now “opening tomorrow”, hence it is misleading.
- By: Devika Mehta
- Published: Apr 14, 2023 at 06:24 PM
- Updated: Apr 17, 2023 at 06:48 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News): Many social media users have shared a news channel video which reported that Guru Harkrishan Institute of Medical Sciences and Research’s new block at Delhi’s Gurdwara Bala Sahib will be “opening tomorrow” for those seeking free kidney dialysis treatment.
However, Vishvas News in its investigation found the viral posts to be misleading as the centre was inaugurated in March 2021 and is operational since then. The video going viral is also from the same year. Built by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), the 100-bed dialysis centre at the gurdwara in Sarai Kale Khan is touted as India’s biggest dialysis centre.
Claim:
Facebook user Mayank Srivastava reshared a viral video post (archive link) that mentioned, “Send it to all groups, it is necessary. Please send this to all groups, whatever group you are connected with, you are requested to send it because many people will be benefited! This kidney dialysis centre is opening tomorrow.”
Similar posts with the pre-inauguration India TV video were reshared by many other users on Facebook and WhatsApp.
Investigation:
In the first few seconds of the viral video, the anchor can be heard saying that the inauguration of the dialysis centre is “tomorrow”. First, Vishvas News analysed the video through INVID keyframes and found the old India TV report and video from March 2021.
In the video, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a member of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Committee Management, said, “The concept of the hospital is that we will not charge any money from the patients. There are many people who are coming out with contributions. There are people who feel that fellow humans should be served. There are corporate houses who are coming forward… funding it from CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), so, yes, we will take all that and won’t charge patients. The idea behind this is that more than 30 per cent of kidney patients don’t have any access to medical facilities; either they are too poor or they have sold every asset to cover this cost.”
Vishvas News also found the tweet of the BJP leader, who was then with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), posted on March 7, 2021.
On further investigation, we found a post on a Facebook page of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, another prominent Sikh shrine in Delhi, put up on March 6, 2021. It has a video of Manjinder Singh Sirsa speaking about the facility, and a caption: “No billing counter in India’s biggest Kidney Dialysis Hospital. Totally free services to all the patients at the most technically advanced Kidney Dialysis hospital in India. Guru ka Langar will also be served.”
To check the veracity of the viral post, we also contacted Dr Venkatesh R, Medical Director at the centre, who confirmed, “The hospital was inaugurated on March 7, 2021.”
A social media scan of the user, who shared the viral post, showed that he lives in Hyderabad and studied at the University of Delhi.
Conclusion: Guru Harkrishan Institute of Medical Sciences and Research’s new kidney dialysis centre at Delhi’s Gurdwara Bala Sahib was inaugurated in March 2021. The India TV video rightly informs about the hospital’s opening in 2021, but it has been reshared by social media users claiming the centre is now “opening tomorrow”, hence it is misleading.
- Claim Review : Delhi Gurdwara’s free dialysis centre is ‘opening tomorrow
- Claimed By : Fb user: Mayak Srivastava
- Fact Check : Misleading
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