news details |
|
|
| Vyas assures revisiting Medical Insurance Scheme | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Oct 6: Advisor to Governor B B Vyas has assured that recently launched medical insurance scheme in J&K will be revisited. Vyas revealed this while talking to a delegation of pensioners who met him on Saturday in Srinagar during a public durbar
Details available with Early Times reveal that a delegation of J&K Pensioners Welfare Association lead by its General Secretary Syed Nasaullah met with B B Vyas in Srinagar . In a statement Pensioners Welfare Association said that they appreciate the decision of the Govt. in Principle to launch medical insurance scheme for the employees & pensioners in the state as the same would be aimed at to take care of Health care of chunk of senior citizens in the state.
"In our humble view the scheme is required to be revisited amongst others on the grounds that the pensioners have been burdened with heavy premium of Rs. 22000 per annum against a sum of Rs. 8000 for serving employees, In our view the premium payable by pensioners should have been the half of the premium paid by the employees or at the most equalent to them keeping in view the age factor.Neither the hospitals looped in the scheme by Reliance Insurance company have been notified nor the type of diseases proposed to be covered under the scheme have been identified. The concerned insurance company has not notified its counters at district or Tehsil headquarters to enable the pensioners to manually complete the formalities as still in remote areas the online facilities are still a dream more so the internet facilities are withdrawn every now and then for security reasons. The lower class pensioners are also not in a position to handle the online mechanism" said Syed Nasarullah
Pertinently Ministry of Social Welfare has already notified a series of health care schemes for senior citizens including the pensioners and the state government, as a welfare measure, could adopt, promote and implement any such scheme for the pensioners. In the neighboring state of Punjab the medical insurance facility is available to the pensioners free of cost. Pensioners say that insurance companies sell their health insurance products on much lower rates than what is being offered by the state government through reliance.
"Before introducing Reliance Insurance, neither the pensioners have been taken into confidence nor there was any bidding process undertaken by the government as in the process of competition the premium could have been much less than so offered.Instead of enhancing the medical allowances of Rs. 300 the state government has proposed to merge the same with the proposed premium which would mean that the pensioners would be losing said allowances It would have been better to consider enhancement of medical allowances and then to merge the same with the premium. The proposed premium on the face of it is irrational, unrealistic and beyond paying capacity of the pensioners who otherwise face acute financial crunch due to prevailing market hike" said Nazir Ahmad Mir a pensioner who was formerly General Secretary of Civil Secretariat Employees Union.
Pensioners delegation requested advisor Vyas that the premium of Rs. 22000 per annum for the pensioners may be brought down to a rational level and existing allowances be enhanced and raised at least upto Rs. 1500 per month and then adjusted towards the revisited premium. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
