Illegitimate Health Cards : Create a Law dear CM

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

This is the hoarding of Biju Smart Health Card. The Chief minister is orally allotting thousands of crores of Rupees in its favor in cultivated meetings to propagate himself that to him,”every life is precious…”

The web upload informs that the “State Government will bear full cost of all health services delivered to all patients (irrespective of income, status or residence) in all State Government health care facilities starting from Sub centre level to District Head Quarter and Government Medical College Hospital and Blood Bank level.”

It also informs that the “State Government will bear the cost of healthcare provided in empanelled private hospitals for over 96.5 lakh economically vulnerable families in the State, amounting to Annual Health coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family and additional Rs. 5lakh for the women members of the family after exhaust of initial limit.”

In all the government health institutions up to Government Medical College Hospital level, for all persons, all health services charges are borne by the State Government, including those for drugs, diagnostics, dialysis, Cancer chemotherapy, OT, I.C.U, in-patient admission blood bank services etc.,this web upload says, while declaring that, “families having BSKY Smart Health Card can avail cashless treatment at any empanelled private hospital under BSKY within or outside the State. They can also avail facilities such as registration, consultation, medical tests, pathologies, treatment, IPD and follow-up consultation under BSKY at any empanelled private hospitals, for which State Government will bear the cost upto the annual coverage amount.”

But the entire scheme is unauthorized. Its impact on the State’s exchequer that thrives on loan and distress sale of natural resources has never been studied. The State cabinet has never approved this package of expenditure. Finance Department has never concurred it. No Law has been created to administer the scheme and to control the accountability of the State.

The Card is nothing but a virus called Biju designed to infest democratic wisdom of the people, as, without that the CM cannot stay in power even for a day.

When people are not vigilant, miscreants are smart enough to dazzle them with such smart cards to bag their votes in elections and this has happened in Orissa.

But we may expect, the media in Orissa would act responsible and harp on the need to have a perfect Law to govern this Smart Health Card.

Health of democracy is under severe threat in this State where a “supremo” rules the roost and uses his whims like a prince to squander away the tax-payers’ money sans any respect for democratic accountability.

The fourth pillar of democracy has, therefore, a burden to shoulder.

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