Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday directed lodging of FIRs in police stations against private healthcare providers refusing treatment under the Swasthya Sathi scheme and threatened cancellation of license.
The refusal of patients having Swasthya Sathi cards was raised at the administrative meeting chaired by Banerjee in West Midnapore. "If any hospital refuses to accept Swasthya Sathi cards, you should immediately lodge an FIR with the local police station and at the same time, lodge a complaint with the helpline number of the Health department which is printed on the card itself. Action will be taken immediately," Banerjee said.
She also flagged off the issue of people going to other states for availing of healthcare services under the scheme. "We have the best treatment facilities at the government level. SSKM Hospital is among the best in the country. It is unfortunate that people are going elsewhere for treatment and the government is losing money," she rued.
The Swasthya Sathi scheme is applicable for hospitals outside Bengal, especially in Vellore and at Delhi AIIMS.
Introduced in December 2016, the Swasthya Sathi scheme offers basic health coverage for secondary and tertiary care for up to Rs 5 lakh per annum per family. A smartcard is issued in the name of the woman of the family and this allows for cashless treatment, paid for by the government. Private hospitals are required to charge subsidised rates for treatment under the scheme.
Initially, when the scheme was launched, it was meant to benefit those in the state who were below the poverty line but in 2020 it was extended to cover every household.
With 24.85 lakh beneficiaries and 2.2 crore families enrolled under this health scheme, the state government has spent Rs 3,212.72 crore on it. Recently, Banerjee had said that a committee under the state Chief Secretary would suggest ways for the government to improve the implementation of this flagship programme. "We need to find out why some nursing homes are turning away Swasthya Sathi patients. The health of such hospitals will be examined. I have asked officials concerned to act tough with such cases and take legal action if required," she had said.
She appealed to the people of Bengal to avail of treatment in the state — using Swasthya Sathi — rather than travelling to other places. Also, she asked people to avail of treatment in other states only if the particular facilities offered there are not available here. "Earlier, due to lack of facilities, people would travel to other states for treatment. But Bengal has all the infrastructure now. There are many more hospitals, where people can get better care than that in other states," Banerjee said.