Doctors under TVVP bereft of health scheme

Hyderabad: A section of doctors and medical staff working under Health Department in the State are facing a peculiar situation though they have been playing a key role in the success of flagship schemes like KCR Kits and Kanti Velugu.While they are extending treatment and healthcare services to lakhs of patients across the State on daily basis, they are left uncovered by health insurance.

Nearly 9,500 employees, including doctors, staff nurses and paramedical staff, under Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (TVVP) rolls do not have health cards nor are they provided with cashless treatment facility anywhere in the State. They have to remain content with medical reimbursement facility. These doctors and staff discharge duties in District Hospitals, Area Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs) and a few Civil Dispensaries which are over 100 in number in the State.

While District Hospitals usually are of 200-bed units or more, Area Hospital is a 100-bed unit, CHCs have 30-bed or 50-bed facilities.However, there are no such worries for their colleagues working in Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals (under DME-Directorate of Medical Education) and Primary Health Centres or PHCs, falling under Directorate of Public Health wing.
The Vaidya Vidhana Parishad was formed by a special legislation of Assembly in 1986 in the combined State and hence staff salaries do not come through State Treasury directly like in case of other government staff. And this has come in the way of extending health cards to officials and staff of TVVP.

In preparation of guidelines for Health Cards it was stated that this scheme would be extended to government employees and pensioners. There was no mention of employees working in various corporations and autonomous institutions like TVVP, RTC, GHMC etc, who do not get salaries from Treasury and that is where the problem lies. TVVP employees have been representing to higher-ups in the Health Department for more than a year to extend cashless treatment facility to them, but there has been no progress.

Sources say that Finance Department has not given consent to this proposal as employees from other corporations might follow suit and demand that they also be brought under this scheme.
However, doctors pointed out that other corporations and institutions generate their own revenue unlike TVVP which depends on State government only for salaries although the pay is not made through Treasury account. Also, except RTC that has its own hospitals and treatment facilities, other institutions do not have staff strength of nearly 10,000 like in case of TVVP, they said. A doctor working at a CHC, who did not wish to be quoted, stated that medical reimbursement scheme takes toll on them financially.

“For treatment of serious diseases and surgeries, especially in super-specialty hospitals in Hyderabad one has to pay huge bills at first, beginning from admission time till completion of operation and treatment. One has to pay the entire bill to hospital concerned and try to apply for medical reimbursement with the department and the bill gets sanctioned much later. Not all employees in TVVP would be having huge money savings to afford complex health treatments for their family members and hence reimbursement procedure is a big disadvantage when compared to cashless treatment," he felt.

Telangana Medical and Health Gazetted Officers State president Jupally Rajender stated that they have represented the government on this issue and awaiting a positive decision. He also urged the government to ensure that TVVP staff get salaries from Treasury accounts.
“Our salaries used to be given around 15th of every month earlier. But it was former Health Minister C Laxma Reddy who intervened and took steps because of which we are receiving salaries first of every month. It would be very helpful if government brings us under Treasury ambit and also extend health cards to us," he said.