The Govt should look at the recommendations made earlier

The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) is one of the best employees’ welfare schemes devised by the Government after Independence. Introduced in 1954, the scheme covers 4,073,638 beneficiaries, comprising 2,514,937 serving employees and 1,535,788 pensioners. The scheme benefits all Central Government employees and pensioners, current and former Members of Parliament, governors and lt. governors, a few selected autonomous organisations, and the journalists accredited by the Press Information Bureau. The treatment provided is based on the nominal monthly charges. The treatment is through CGHS wellness centres and empanelled private hospitals and diagnostic centres. This writer has been monitoring the implementation CGHS from close quarters and knows for sure what ails this unique health care scheme. The trigger to write this article is the recent meeting held by the empanelled private hospitals and diagnostic centres in which they warned the Government to clear their bills totaling more than Rs 1,000 crore. In Delhi, Dehradun and all other places hospitals like Max have refused to entertain patients with CGHS cards. At the dispensary level, overall satisfaction among the patients is average. The scheme has, however, become patient-friendly after registration was made online, thus allowing the patient to approach any dispensary anywhere in the country. One of the reasons for poor patient perception is the shortage of doctors and para-medic staff. Not the entire staff is trained for the purpose. Further, the number of cashless beneficiaries in the form of pensioners is increasing every month. The Chief Medical Officers are by and large well behaved but remain aloof to patient welfare. They are also under strain because of the lack of proper infrastructure. But the real problem is at the headquarters in New Delhi and regional offices. The scheme fighting for survival, thanks the incompetence and negligence by some officers and doctors who are in charge of monitoring and supervision. Several doctors managing the scheme have wrapped the scheme in red tape. The senior civil servants who are responsible for its supervision are equally responsible for its pitiable condition, otherwise how could they explain the huge dues of private hospitals pending for payment. The political class anyway gets VIP treatment.

The babus managing the scheme forget that they too would need healthcare after retirement. A few years ago, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sought suggestions to improve the scheme, but most of the recommendations have been consigned to the dustbin. This writer recently, at the behest of a large number of people, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, requesting them to take action to bring the scheme back on track. Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has the reputation of setting things right. The Director-General of the CGHS needs to take remedial action on priority. First and foremost, arrangements should be made for a sufficient budget and timely clearance of the dues owed to the private hospitals. One of the reasons for delays in payment is that the funds are surrendered, so these get reduced in the next year’s Budget. Those responsible for delays never get punished; this is the biggest problem at the Central secretariat office. The empanelment process needs a relook. Innovative efforts need to be made to meet the challenges in the implementation of welfare schemes. Hospitals run by unscrupulous people quote very low prices and unsustainable rates, and then find it difficult to deliver. Medicines should be allowed on the basis of scientific facts The Health Ministry should also review the suggestions it received years ago. In nutshell, the scheme needs a thorough relook.

(The writer is the Chairman of Centre for Resource Management and Environment. The views expressed are personal.)