Bengal’s state to receive subsidised treatment at private hospitals

One of the sharpest indictments of Bengal’s state-run hospitals has come from the state government itself — in the form of a sop before the polls.



The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government has drawn up a scheme for some 10 lakh of its employees, who are increasingly frustrated with state-run hospitals, to receive subsidised treatment at private hospitals.

State government employees are now partially reimbursed for what they spend at state hospitals; under the new scheme, the benefit will cover private hospitals too. Sources said the amount to be reimbursed too was expected to go up, since treatment is costly at private hospitals.

The government is working out details such as which private hospitals to tie up with, the rates for treatment or diagnosis, and how much reimbursement to pay, the sources added.

State health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra refused comment citing the poll code of conduct, but officials of his department said the state cabinet was expected to clear the scheme soon after the elections.

Non-gazetted employees now get free beds at state-run hospitals and healthcare institutes, but have to pay for medicines and equipment such as pacemakers or stents. They also get an annual medical allowance of Rs 1,200. Gazetted officers are allowed free cabins, the rest of the facilities being the same.

However, officials drawn from the civil services, such as the IAS and the IPS, receive higher benefits in keeping with their service rules. They will not come under this scheme.

Late last year, the government had invited expressions of interest from private hospitals to which many have responded.

“Several private hospitals have submitted expressions of interest, and we are conducting inspections to ensure they have proper infrastructure,” said a health department official who has been co-ordinating with the Association of Hospitals of Eastern India (AHEI), an organisation of private hospitals.

“We have quoted packages for consultation, diagnosis and treatment which include state-of-the-art surgeries and diagnostic facilities,” an AHEI spokesperson said. “Some hospitals have agreed to the proposed rates; the rest are yet to send their consent.”

The chief operating officer of the Calcutta Medical Research Institute, Rupak Barua, said inspection had been completed at his hospital. “The government has expressed satisfaction at our infrastructure,” he said.

“It’s a win-win situation. Overcrowding at state-run hospitals can be avoided and government employees will have access to state-of-the-art treatment,” said Brig (retd) S.B. Purkayastha, CEO, Ruby General Hospital, where an inspection is scheduled soon.

“We are happy,” said P.B. Nag, general secretary, State Government Employees’ Federation. “Beds are unavailable most of the time at state hospitals; so employees and their families have to go to private institutes for which we don’t get any reimbursement now.”

“We are yet to set up facilities like MRI in state-run hospitals, and the CT scan is available in only a few,” conceded Sanchita Bakshi, director of health services.

Source : The Telegraph.