lack of inter-departmental coordination has resulted in denial of free medical facilities to the card holders of ‘Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojna’ (MSBY) at the associated hospital of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC). The refusal to accept the MSBY cards by the biggest government hospital of the state is causing problems to large number of patients. Most of these patients belong to very poor families.
The term of the health insurance scheme ended on July 31 following which the state administration decided to extend the scheme for two more months.
This decision was conveyed to the MSBY cell at the state health directorate which intimated the insurance company and the Third Party Administrator (TPA). However the hospital administration was not given written permission to continue the scheme following which it stopped the scheme.
When contacted the state nodal officer of the MSBY, Dr Amlesh Kumar Singh said that the scheme has been extended for two months and all the hospitals covered under it must give its benefit to the card holders. He said that the TPA has also written a letter to all the hospitals regarding extension of the scheme. Dr Singh said that he would look into the matter of denial of facility by the associated hospital of GDMC.
The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr K K Tamta accepted that the hospital has stopped accepting the cards of the MSBY. “We will resume service to MSBY card holders when the hospital will receive official mail of extension of the scheme,’’ he said. This stand of the hospital administration seems to hold its place considering the fact that the insurance company owes a sum of more than Rs 1 crore to the hospital under the scheme.
Patients are bearing the maximum brunt of this lack of interdepartmental coordination. Indu Devi a resident of Duggada in Pauri said, “I was asked to go to Dehradun from government hospital Kotdwar as surgeon there had gone on a long leave. Here I was admitted but the officials are telling that they would not accept my health card. If such is the case then these cards should not have been distributed to fool poor like us.’’
The MSBY was launched by former Chief Minister Harish Rawat in 2015.
In the first phase the cover under the scheme was Rs 50000 which was increased to Rs 1.75 lakhs in II phase.
The salient feature of this health insurance plan is that both the Below Poverty line (BPl) and Above Poverty line (APl) families are covered under it.
Under it all such persons who are do not pay income tax and are not Government employees are covered. Treatment of 1206 general and 459 critical diseases can be done under the scheme in 151 government and private hospitals of the State.