A delegation of the Ganjam District Retired Employees’ Association, affiliated to the Odisha Retired Government Employees’ Association, led by its president Dr Arjun Sahu and secretary Rash Behari Das submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik through the RDC (Southern Division) here on Friday for fulfilment of their demands.
The demands included payment of medical allowance to the retired State employees as allowed by the Central Government and some other States, implementation of health insurance scheme for them as in the case of BPl families and farmers, exemption of retired employees from paying user fees in medical college hospitals and issue of administrative orders to all the Government and non-Government hospitals to provide free treatment to them.
The association leaders said the retired employees, who are senior citizens, are financially hard-pressed to meet medical expenses and they are being treated as third rate citizens compared to BPl families and farmers in terms of the amenities extended to them.
Former Assembly Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda urged the Government to sympathetically consider the demands of the retired employees as they are badly in need of free healthcare and free health insurance. If required, the Government may bring a suitable legislation to provide free healthcare and health insurance to them and other senior citizens, he said.