Team Herald
PERNEM: Following heavy criticism for the health insurance scheme believe it or not, Dy Chief Minister and Health Minister Francis D’Souza has no clue why private wards have been kept out of the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana of the government.
Herald on its issue dated June 2, 2016 had reported that the private wards in GMC had been excluded from the scheme based on the RFP issued by the government for the scheme, to select private insurance players
Asked why the private wards in the GMC have been excluded from the scheme, he replied, “There may be some problem, I have no idea or there could be some mistake.”
“It may be because the private wards in GMC are charged as of now and it should continue,” he said but added he would get back after seeking a clarification from the Health Department.
He further said, the government is open to giving more interventions to private hospitals but refused to negotiate on rates. “The rates offered are better than the Central Government Health Services (CGHS) rates and nobody can complain about that,” D’Souza said.
He pointed out that the rates are as notified by some renowned hospitals from time to time like AIIMS, NEIGRIHMS Shillong, NIMHANS 6.PGIMER Chandigarh, Tata Memorial Hospitals, JIPMER Puducherry and CMC Vellore.
“I don’t understand what the private hospitals are complaining about. The patients won’t be treated only in Goa, hospitals in Belagavi and Mumbai etc would also be empanelled and we will give them the same rates,” he said.
Experts state that private hospitals are unlikely to get empanelled in the scheme as the rates offered by the government are below par and unviable.
D’Souza said the government is open to giving more interventions and treatments to private hospitals. “Out of 447, around 280 would be carried out only in government-run hospitals but the remaining 167 are all major surgeries and interventions which can be carried out at both places (private and government),” he said.
He also questioned the facilities provided by private hospitals. “Frankly speaking, can you tell me how many hospitals have the capacity and the staff to provide treatment in all interventions? Most of the hospitals do not even have permanent resident doctors or qualified nurses or attendants,” he said, adding, “GMC is the best institution to provide healthcare facilities.”
But this contradicts the Chief Minister’s remarks when the scheme was announced that it would give access to the best of high end private health care to all patients,
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Govt cannot accept demands of private hospitals to raise rates: CM
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, during whose tenure as Health Minister the universal health insurance scheme was drafted, said that the rates offered are the best and the government cannot accept demands of private hospitals to increase rates.
“The private hospitals may charge anything but we would pay as per the CGHS guidelines and notifications,” he said.
Asked why the scheme was launched in a hurry when even hospitals were not empanelled, Parsekar said, “The hospitals need to be empanelled by the insurance companies after inspecting the premises for carrying capacity and facilities, which should be completed by August 15.”
