Panel to review Bengal govt-run health scheme package rates

The West Bengal cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to set up a committee of seniorgovernment officials to chalk out flexible rates for varioustreatments at private hospitals and nursing homes, under thestate-run Swasthya Sathi scheme.Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the ratesshould be fixed, keeping in mind the interest of bothhospitals and patients.As the scheme has now reached 10 crore people, therate should also be changed.

The West Bengal cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to set up a committee of seniorgovernment officials to chalk out ''flexible'' rates for varioustreatments at private hospitals and nursing homes, under thestate-run 'Swasthya Sathi' scheme.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the ratesshould be fixed, keeping in mind the interest of bothhospitals and patients.

''As the scheme has now reached 10 crore people, therate should also be changed. It should be flexible, and fixedin such a way that the nursing homes can bear the treatmentand patients, too, do not face any problem. To maintainparity, we will come up with a new rate chart.

''We have formed a committee with chief secretary, homesecretary and health secretary as members to look into thematter,'' Banerjee said after Thursday's cabinet meeting.

The chief minister also urged all hospitals andnursing homes to ''necessarily'' enrol themselves for the'Swasthya Sathi' scheme.

''I will request all the private hospitals and nursinghomes to give priority to this... We must not forget thatbesides doing business, we also have some socialresponsibilities,'' she said.

The feisty TMC supremo said that the state governmenthas to bear an extra annual expense of Rs 2,500 crore fordoling out benefits under the health scheme.

Echoing her, Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay toldreporters at the state secretariat that the cabinet has takenan ''in-principle decision to ensure that funds are availableto bear the treatment cost of any number of patients. Somenursing homes and hospitals have reached out to us, seeking arevision in the rates of packages''.

The bureaucrat said that the committee will review thematter and try to work on a solution so that ''Swasthya Sathibecomes win-win'' for all.

With more and more people enrolling themselves for the'Swasthya Sathi' scheme at the state-initiated 'Duare Sarkar'(government at doorsteps) drive, private hospitals and nursinghomes have urged the government to review the rates.

Authorities of these medical establishments and seniorofficials of the state health department recently held ameeting in this connection.

As many as 75.83 lakh people in the state havereceived Swasthya Sathi cards till Wednesday.

Under the scheme, each family is entitled to healthcoverage of Rs 5 lakh every year.