A 93-year-old woman reportedly had to be taken by stretcher to prove to her bank she was still alive.
The pensioner was filmed arriving by what appears to be an ambulance at a Bradesco bank branch in Serra Preta, Bahia, Brazil.
In the footage, which was shared online on Friday (25 August) but reportedly filmed last Wednesday (23 August), de Jesus could be seen on a stretcher covered in blankets as two men wheeled her into the branch.
She could be seen barefoot with what appeared to be bandages or compression tights on her leg, and a red hat on.
A man wearing a green T-shirt shouted at staff members during the incident.
The elderly woman’s son, Cláudio Mascarenhas, shared the video, explaining his mother had to show “proof of life” in order to benefit from INSS (National Social Security Institute).
He claimed she is paraplegic, and has a femur fracture and anthrosis. Mascarenhas said he had to ask for an ambulance from the municipal hospital to take his mother to the bank as if she did not prove she was alive, she would not be given the card to withdraw the benefits – after hers had reportedly expired.
According to Mascarenhas, the bank had issued his mother a replacement card but sent it to a bank branch rather than a post office – and said it could only be released to the account holder, despite Mascarenhas’ attempts to get it himself.
He told local media: “She didn’t sign anything. Another employee handed me the correspondence and asked me only to confirm the password.
“I confirmed it and she stayed on the stretcher, standing on the bench. It created an unnecessary inconvenience ...”
The bank reportedly said they “regretted what happened” and clarified they had followed the INSS rules regarding proof of life by the beneficiary.
According to local reports, the bank said the elderly woman’s case has been resolved.
However, local media reports suggest that INSS beneficiaries no longer need to provide proof of life, as of last year.
