Some patients still are unaware of the treatment and the amount charged under RSBY
IT News
Imphal, Oct .11
Primes Minister Narendra Modi ambitious Health Insurance scheme, launched in September 23, 2018, which was renamed as PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) on September 25 of the same year and the similar scheme launched by the Chief Minister of Manipur – Chief Minister Gi Hakshel Tengbang (CMHT) to facilitate free treatment facilities to poor, deprived families of both rural and urban, who are not in the condition to afford treatment facilities fails to delight sections of people who had known how the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) had swindled many beneficiaries by the so called empanelled private hospitals here in the state of Manipur.
Source with the Imphal Times said that a total of Rs. 7,10,96,627/- (Seven crores ten Lakhs ninetysix thousand six hundred and twenty seven) had been spend to patients for undergoing treatments at different empanelled Private Hospitals in Manipur under the RSBY between the year 2013 to 2018.
RSBY was launched in early 2008 by Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India to provide health insurance coverage for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The objective of RSBY is to provide protection to BPL households from financial liabilities arising out of health shocks that involve hospitalization. The beneficiaries under RSBY are entitled to hospitalization coverage up to Rs. 30,000/-for most of the diseases that require hospitalization. The coverage extends to five members of the family which includes the head of household, spouse and up to three dependents.
Team Imphal Times, first pick up the nature of facilities provided under the RSBY scheme for the year 2017-18. In this year the Manipur State RSBY Society, which is under the Labour department of the Government of Manipur sanctioned and released an amount of Rs. 30,14,314/- (Thirty lakhs fourteen thousand three hundred and fourteen) for treatment of patients under the RSBY. Interestingly in the year 2017-18, 126 (One hundred and twenty six) patients had undergone treatment at Raj Polyclinic. Of the 126 patients, 15 underwent double treatment. There are no treatment of patients at any of the empanelled RSBY private hospital as per official source received from the Manipur State RSBY Society.
“I thank the government for treating me without spending much money, but I don’t know how much the government gave for my treatment to Raj Polyclinic for my treatment under the RSBY”, a patient from Thoubal district who had hospitalized at Raj Polyclinic North AOC Imphal during October, 2017 when contacted by Imphal Times said.
“ I suspect, my aunty’s family was cheated as they showed nothing about the disease, procedure of treatment as well as the cost of the treatment, taking advantage of their illiteracy and ignorance. But I am happy that she don’t have to spent much money which she can’t afford”, Dhanakumar from Imphal East district told Imphal Times staffs.
Finally, having suspicion of how the public money which were meant for the poor and the deprived people have been swindled by the Manipur State RSBY Society or the Hospital authority, Imphal Times dig more and found that a bigger role is also being played by the New India Assurance Company, the insurance company that has been approved of implementing the RSBY schemes.
Imphal Times staff also contacted the Assistant General Manager of the Raj Polyclinic, North AOC Imphal to inquire about any lapses to the utilisation of the RSBY scheme. He however said that there is no misappropriation of the RSBY scheme and that there are still pending amount yet to be cleared by the Manipur State RSBY Society.
– (More to follow up ….)
