Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Sickle cell patients yet to get travel concessions

Times of India: Nagpur: Wednesday, 10 February 2016.
In March 2015, a government resolution was issued that allowed patients suffering from genetic blood disorder sickle cell disease (SCD) to travel for free in state transport buses. It took almost a year for two government units, the public health department (PHD) and the transport authority, to work on the first step towards implementing the order. In the meanwhile, it is a mystery where the money allocated towards this end in the last financial year has vanished.
As per the GR, the data related to the number of patients availing the facility was to be collected by the transport authority while the expenses towards this end will be borne by the public health department. Despite repeated reminders for several months, it was only a month back that the PHD forwarded a sum of around Rs37 lakh to the National Health Mission (NHM) to be forwarded to the transport authority. This was only a third of the amount that was asked of them. Sources from the health department said that the scheme is expected to be implemented within the next couple of weeks.
Another GR of the state government dated January 11, 2016, informed that a sum of Rs37,66,700 has been forwarded by the health department for the year 2015-16. For financial year 2014-15, Rs15.11 crore was forwarded to the public health department to cover concessions accorded to patients, an information that came forward through an RTI query filed by activist Sampat Ramteke last year.
"In answer to the same RTI query, I was also told that NHM had received Rs12.56 crore from the department of tribal development and Rs1.88 crore from the department of social justice, with Rs0.66 crore contributed by the department itself towards the travel concession. I fail to understand where all this money has gone because the scheme is yet to be implemented on ground," said Ramteke, the president of NGO Sickle Cell Society of India (SCSI). He wonders what it would take to ensure the concession is availed by the needy patients.
SCSI has been demanding that the concession since fifteen years. "Several of the poor tribal patients of the disease live in remote areas. There have been many deaths in these areas among the patients because of not having enough money to reach the hospital on time. This facility was supposed to save lives," said Ramteke. He expressed sorrow that the government kept denying poor people who really needed their aid.
TIMELINE
2000 — Demand for travel concession for SCD patients in ST buses first made
2002 — State government initiates an assessment study to see if the concession is feasible
2010 — Maharashtra Lokayukta directed the state's public health department to execute a ten-point programme in three months' time. One of the points in the programme was making ST travel concession available.
2011 — Lack of any action on the issue was raised by State Information Commissioner
2013 — Postcard andolan was started by SCSI which enlisted several demands including the travel concession
2014 — Following a discussion on the issue in the Vidhan Sabha, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan announced that the travel concession would soon be made available
March 2015 — GR allowed free travel in ST for SCD patient and one companion
May 2015 — state transport authority asked the health department of the state government to deposit Rs1 crore towards covering the concession cost
Feb 2016 — Rs37 lakh given to National Health Mission to be forwarded to state transport authority
WHAT THE GR SAYS
       A patient suffering from SS pattern sickle cell disease, along with one aide, can avail free travel in ST buses for getting required medical examination or treatment from his native place to rural hospital/subdistrict hospital/district hospital/government hospital.
       The expenses on the government because of this facility must be looked into every three months
       This concession will also be applicable for those wishing to go for prenatal test for SCD