Posers Raised Over Financial Assistance To BPL Families For Medical Treatment
Private clinics swindling RSBY scheme?
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 10, 2012: A strong suspicion has been raised over whether some private hospitals have been swindling public money out of Rastriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) which are basically meant for providing financial assistance to BPL card holders for their medical treatment.

A high-ranking official who is one among the State Government officials working to implement the scheme for the benefit of the genuine BPL card holders disclosed to TSE that some people who possess BPL cards even though they do not belong to the BPL category in reality have been drawing money out of RSBY in cahoots with some private hospitals by falsely claiming that they have fallen ill.

Earlier, the scheme taken up by the Ministry of Labour, Government of India was applicable only in Government hospitals.

However, following the State Government's announcement that interested private hospitals may apply, the same scheme is now applicable in JNIMS, Shija Hospitals, Public Hospital and Langol View.

So far, the scheme covers Imphal East, Ukhrul, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Churachandpur and Tamenglong districts.

Under this scheme, a head of a family is given Rs 30,000 in a year for medical treatment for any member of his/her family.

In addition, Rs 100 is given as travel fare for going to hospital at times of illness and each beneficiary can avail this provision ten times in a year which amounts to Rs 1000. To enable BPL families enjoy the benefits of the scheme, they are given a Smart card each which has Rs 31,000 in balance.

At the hospitals where the scheme is applicable, BPL patients would give their Smart cards to the payment counters and the amount spent on diagnosis and treatment would be deducted.

The amount thus withdrawn is shared between them.

As the Smart cards can be used only at these specified hospitals, BPL families stand to lose the amount entitled to them if none of their family members need medical treatment in a year.

While exploring ways to draw the amount deposited against their Smart cards, some BPL card holders have been drawing money from their Smart cards in cahoots with hospital authorities by using fabricated documents for diagnosis and treatment while in reality they are not ill at all, disclosed the official.

To make the cost of 'treatment' compatible with the amount of Rs 31,000 deposited against the Smart cards, the fabricated documents are mostly for removal of appendix and stones.

So far, 30 cases of withdrawing RSBY fund in such fraudulent manner have been detected, said the official.

The matter has been already put across the table in an official meeting but an effective means to plug to loophole is yet to be explored, added the official.