Nearly every big hospital in all districts of the State had started depositing the ‘master machines’ which were to be used for carrying out the transactions for the Government insurance schemes using the ‘master card’ issued to the beneficiaries.
In Bilaspur district, the home district of Health Minster Amar Agarwal, a total of 46 out of 47 hospitals have deposited their ‘master card’ machines.A delegation of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) is meeting Chief Minister Raman Singh on Sunday evening to discuss the issue.
The delegation members said that even if after meeting the Chief Minister the problem does not get solved the IMA would float its ‘own insurance scheme’ for the treatment of poor people.
It was learnt that 62 out of 68 machines had been surrendered by hospitals in Raipur district itself. Similarly, 15 machines were deposited in Raigarh, 20 in Korba, 30 out of 53 in Durg-Bhilai and 8 out of 9 in Champa.
The process of depositing machines by the large hospitals in Ambikapur, Dhamtari, Kavardha, Jagdalpur, Rajnandgaon and rest of the cities is underway.
The IMA had informed that in hospitals which had not deposited their master card machines are not offering treatment through use of ‘smart cards’. According to IMA State President Dr Ajay Sahay, a total of `16 crore premium had been paid to the insurance companies under phase three.
At the same time the government hospitals were paid `18 crore. If the rates are even enhanced marginally, it would provide better treatment facilities to the poor, he said. Sahay said that the Health Department officials are adamant not to increase rates.
He said that the IMA delegation meeting the Chief Minister would apprise him of the problems to be faced in providing treatment a low cost through use of smart cards.
‘We would ensure no losses are incurred to the poor and treat them at every level in future,’ Sahay added.
According to State President of Nagrik Sangharsh Samiti Dr Rakesh Gupta there had been a misinformation being generated on the issue of smart cards. ‘Nobody is telling the truth’.
Gupta said that he will
himself go among the people to tell the facts. General Secretary of the Samiti, Harjeet Juneja said that a little bit of losses incurred in treating the poor should be acceptable.
‘If this scheme does not generate profit, then it will also not generate losses. About 10 to 20 per cent of the profit is
certain,” he said.
The hospitals should come forward to treat the poor. One should not stop treating the BPl families on the issue of APl families and compromise with the government, he added.