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