The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : CGHS beneficiaries caught in ‘crossfire’

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Friday, Mar 07, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

CGHS beneficiaries caught in ‘crossfire’

Patients suffer due to tug-of-war between CGHS and super-speciality hospitals
Yashoda, Apollo, Care, Global Mediciti not in CGHS hospital list

HYDERABAD: The tug-of-war between Central Government Health Services (CGHS) and super-speciality hospitals in twin cities has started to take its toll on the hapless patients. Ever since the CGHS had revised its health tariffs, all the speciality hospitals in twin cities have stopped intake of patients, covered under CGHS scheme.

The plight of the patients, especially over 20,000 pensioners in twin cities, is a pathetic tale, to say the least. They are unable to avail of the facilities of ‘top-end’ surgeries under the CGHS scheme in speciality hospitals. “The situation is akin to the ants getting crushed, when elephants clash,” one of the CGHS beneficiaries bemoaned. Pensioners are forced to spend their hard-earned ‘life savings’ for emergency situations. Speciality hospitals like Yashoda, Apollo, Care, Global and Mediciti are not in the CGHS hospital list because these hospitals have not signed an MoU with CGHS over the revised tariffs.

“Gandhi, Osmania and Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) are the only hospitals left for us. NIMS does not have enough bed strength while the other two are ill-equipped for complicated surgeries. Scores of pensioners and Government employees are caught in this muddle,” said General Secretary for Central Government Pensioners Association G.S. Vittal.

It was last year that CGHS had proposed revised new tariff rates. The new rates were less than the proposed rates in other cities like Bangalore, Pune and Chennai. The A.P. Speciality Hospitals Association (APSHA) protested the move saying that the rates were 20 to 35 per cent less than the previous rates. The issue ended up in the High Court, which had asked CGHS to reply on why there was no price parity in tariffs. “Given the huge operative costs, it’s impossible for speciality hospitals to survive if the revised rates are accepted. The High Court has asked CGHS to reply,” pointed out President of APSHA Dr. N. Krishna Reddy.

“Speciality hospitals are not much interested in receiving CGHS cases. The beds in these hospitals are fully filled due to private insurance and Arogyasree schemes. Hence, there is a lack of urgency among such hospitals to solve the tariff issue. As a result, patients are suffering,” persons familiar with the CGHS scheme pointed out.

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