There is little to rejoice for the government employees of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh after being issued health cards as the corporate hospitals in the city have refused to treat them. The hospitals are awaiting the TS government’s nod for 25 per cent hike in charges for hospitals assessed by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH).
The health cards scheme supposed to be offering cashless treatment has also led to a strange situation. Top hospitals in the capital are also refusing to accept the cards issued by AP although it has conceded one of the key demands of hiking the prescribed package rates for the NABH-accredited medical facilities. It is simply because they can’t seem to be providing cashless treatment to the Andhra Pradesh employees and deny the same to the TS staff!
“Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has so far refused to accept the demands of the corporate hospitals although he had waived off the employees contribution of Rs. 78 crore whereas AP, while retaining the staff contribution, has allowed the hike of 25 per cent more payment for select NABH-accredited hospitals,” explained senior health department officials, not willing to be identified.
Apparently, the corporate hospitals’ concern is that cashless treatment will be a “loss making proposition” because earlier the government employees were making cash payments and later claiming reimbursements given to the extent of 60 to 80 per cent. The apprehensions are misplaced, insist officials, explaining that “because we are assuring them readymade market and in volumes as was provided under Aarogyasri but under pre-approved health packages which will not allow arbitrary billing,” they point out.
The TS government has contributed about Rs. 270 crore and Rs. 370 crore is by the AP government for the purpose of employees’ health cards. It has also been stipulated that the out-patient clinics will be at the government hospitals only as also the annual health check-ups.
Senior health officials have calculated that it will cost an additional burden of about Rs.5 crore to the TS Government if it also accepts the formula being followed by the A.P. Government in allowing extra payment for NABH accredited hospitals. Yet no one wants to even broach the topic to the powers that be in the Government as the CM has indicated he is not ready to budge.
“In fact, he has directed the department to bar intransigent private hospitals and improve health care in public hospitals,” senior officials disclosed. Both AP and TS Governments are said to be keen on strengthening the public health infrastructure even as there is lobbying on the A.P. government to allow OPD services too under the scheme.
Even though the governments have become ‘purchaser of health services’ from being ‘provider of health services’, officials say rules have been made stringent to rein in private hospitals. “We have tightened up the regulatory framework and had even started issuing notices to hospitals not adhering to them,” said Aarogyasri CEO K. Dhananjaya Reddy.
