JOIN USHospitals 'indifferent' to Palike health cards
Even with Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) health cards, pourakarmikas are unable to access free medical facilities with a few hospitals refusing to give treatment and some others even barring them.
Mamatha M (name changed) still remembers the day when a private hospital on Bannerghatta Road refused to hand over the body of her husband (name withheld on request) who was a pourakarmika.
“The hospital authorities refused to hand over my husband’s body and told us to pay Rs 30,000. Despite assuring them that the Palike will clear the bills, they refused to listen to us. With the help of my relatives and close friends, I managed to pay them Rs 30,000 as Palike did not help us out. The body was handed over after 24 hours,” a tearful Mamatha said, who lost her husband in 2012. The Palike, following an order from the State government introduced health cards for pourakarmikas in 2007 during the tenure of S Subramanya as the commissioner. The cards were initially meant for pourakarmikas but the facility was later extended to all the employees of BBMP.
As part of the scheme, identity cards were issued to Palike employees and their dependents. The card-holders are entitled for medical treatment up to Rs two lakh per family per year.
Palike employees maintain that from past two-three years, the hospital authorities were delaying treatment and behaving indifferently with the card-holders since the Palike was taking time to clear the medical bills.
“I went to a private clinics few weeks ago to undergo a blood test. But, the doctors there told directed me to another hospital. They told me Palike has not cleared bills of pourakarmikas and they will not allow a repetition,” a pourakarmika who wished to be unnamed said.
According to BBMP sources, around 60 hospitals including private clinics have tied up with the Palike for the health scheme. “Few years ago, around 120 hospitals were under the scheme but now the number has come down to 60. Outpatient department (OPD) expenses is excluded from the scheme from the past six months,” said BBMP Pourakarmikas and Health Gangmen Union Secretary Pothanna.
According to the Union, more than 3,500 pourakarmikas work on permanent basis for BBMP and about 50 per cent of them were facing problem from hospitals over health card. “The health card comes with several conditions. The daughter of a pourakarmika is entitled to the benefit only till her marriage while son can avail of the facility till 25 years of age,” said Union Vice President Gunashekhar.
However, an official with the Administration Department of the Palike said there have been no complaints from pourakarmikas till date and there were no bills to be cleared by the BBMP. He said the issue would be brought to the notice of the commissioner.
Palike Commissioner M Lakshminarayana told Deccan Herald that only one file pertaining to medical bills was pending at present. “Pourakarmikas who have problem can always approach us and sort the issues. The hospitals should communicate with us properly and tell us if there are any bills pending so that we can clear them at the earliest,” he added.