Owes over Rs 15 crore to hospitals and fails to allocate funds for their treatment; private hospitals threaten to stop treating policemen till they get their dues
Owes over Rs 15 crore to hospitals and fails to allocate funds for their treatment; private hospitals threaten to stop treating policemen till they get their dues
Call it indifference from the government or the inefficient schemes in our country, our police force that risks their life to save us has to pay from their own pockets to treat their ailments and those of their family members at hospitals. It is the duty of the state government to pay their hospital bills.
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What's worse is that the recent state budget failed to allocate funds for the scheme. Sources within the Director General of Police office revealed that some hospitals have expressed dissatisfaction over the non-clearance of bills.
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They have said that if the bills are not cleared, they will stop treating policemen.
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According to the Maharashtra Police Kutumb Arogya Yojana (MPKAY), introduced through a General Resolution (GR) issued in December 2005, Mumbai police personnel were entitled to cashless treatment for 32 ailments at hospitals listed under the scheme.
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However, according to documents that are in possession with MiD DAY, the state government owes more than Rs 13 crore to various hospitals across the state for treating nearly 3,045 policemen and their families between February and May 2009.
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It also has to pay 19 Mumbai hospitals more than Rs 2 crore for treating more than 410 cops.
Additional Director General (Administration) Ambalal Verma said, "We are looking into the matter and have requested the government to allocate funds for the scheme.
"The pending dues will be cleared as soon as we receive the grant."
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Cautious response
While most hospitals refused to comment, others gave a cautious response. A senior official from the Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai that has to receive Rs 80 lakh said, "We don't want to complain about any issue."
A representative from the Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital in Aurangabad that has to get Rs 60 lakh said, "It is an issue between the hospital and the state government. I don't want to comment."
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Dr Rajesh Patil, who runs the Ashwini Hospital in Jalgaon, said, "I get a lot of satisfaction treating cops.
I know the department won't get bankrupt and I'll get my dues in some time." Ashwini Hospital has to get Rs 60 lakh from the state government.
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