Greater Kashmir: Srinagar: Sunday, January 14, 2018.
Recently some
vital information about misuse of medical reimbursement scheme by state
legislators came into public domain. The information provided under Right to Information
Act (RTI) made it clear that our MLAs, MLCs who in-spite of getting very fat
salaries continue to rob our state exchequer in the name of medical
reimbursement. Irony is that instead of getting treated in Srinagar or Jammu,
the MLAs and MLCs prefer to visit New Delhi for specialized treatment while as
poor and deserving patients who actually need specialized treatment outside
state are left at God’s mercy. Highly qualified people are made to work like
bonded labourers (contractual lecturers in school and higher education
departments, NHM doctors and paramedics) and on the other hand tax payers'
money is looted by our lawmakers to get
their wives and close relatives treated outside state. Even money from state
exchequer has been used by some MLAs for getting dental treatments and implants
and I have all these documents with me.
Rx of
Fatty Liver:
Fatty liver
is a common disease in J&K and elsewhere. Due to high intake of high
protein and fatty food almost 20 to 30 % of population in J&K suffer from
this disease. Its treatment does not need highly specialized doctors but can be
managed even in our Government District
hospitals. From last several years MLAs and their close relatives in J&K
state have been recommended by Health Department officials to get this disease
treated outside J&K. This has caused huge loss to state exchequer. On the
other hand many patients who suffer from renal failures, various types of CAs,
brain tumors, chronic liver ailments are not even recommended for the
specialized treatments outside state. On 21st August 2013 Directorate of Health
Kashmir issued a letter which reads as :
“This is to
certify that Mrs ……… W/O Mr…….. Hon’ble
MLA is a known case of Grade 1 Fatty Liver, LK Calculus with complaint of chest
pain and chronic abdominal back pain. She is referred to AIIMS, Ganga Ram ,
Batra hospital New Delhi and is advised to have regular checkups at AIIMS ,
Ganga Ram / Batra hospital New
Delhi and is advised to travel by Air”
People have
no problem if MLA's wife is referred to US for treatment of ailment, but why
shall a poor taxpayer pay for the medical treatment of MLAs family? MLA or MLC
gets a salary of Rs 1.60 lakhs/ month along with other perks and benefits, why can’t they
spend from their own pocket for the medical treatment of family relatives?
Amount
spent on treatment:
Legislative
Council Secretariat vide Letter No: 75 LC of 2015 Dated : 5.2.2015 issued an
order wherein an amount of Three Lakh Sixty Eight Thousand Six Hundred and Nine
Rupees (Rs 3,68,609) were sanctioned in favour of an MLC from Jammu for
treatment of his wife under Medical Attendance Rules . For treatment of this
disease hardly Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh could have been spent in any Government
hospital of J&K (SKIMS , SHMS, SMGS). In the year 2015 an MLA from South
Kashmir was referred outside the state for treatment of 'fatty liver'
and 'acute cervical spondylosis' , even as both these conditions were
very common and could easily be treated even in district or sub district hospital of the state. The
letter from Directorate of Health reads
“Mr …….
Hon’ble MLA is being referred to outside the state for evaluation, treatment
and management in any hospital recognized for the treatment”.
I know a 25
year old female patient who is suffering from kidney ailment. The girl is an
orphan and needs immediate treatment outside state, but Government is not
coming to her rescue.
Few years
back another MLC from Jammu was reimbursed an amount of Rs 4.71 lakhs for
treatment of his mother at Ganga Ram hospital
New Delhi. Among the list of almost two dozen MLAs and MLCs available
with me only one legislator namely, an Ex MLC, has got the medical treatment from
GMC Jammu. For this treatment he was reimbursed with Rs 1.11 lakhs (One Lakh
Eleven Thousand Rupees).
Conclusion:
Our MLAs and
MLCs are very much entitled for medical claims for themselves and their close
relatives but why shall they be referred to New Delhi if the treatment can be
done within the state itself ? Why are Legislators and Ministers putting a
pressure on Directorate of Health for issuance of official letters enabling
them to go outside state for medical treatments? In a cash starved state of
J&K where Govt employees are made to work on Rs 7000 a month for 5 years,
where PROs of Ministers get mere monthly
salary of Rs 12000 and NREGA and NHM employees are on protest for better
salaries and job security , there is an urgent need to make changes in the
Medical Attendance Rules of Members of J&K State Legislature 1986 so that
legislators do not take undue benefit of these rules……
.JPG)
.JPG)
