27 December 2008
Pune, India.
TNN
The civic administration has tabled a proposal before the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) standing committee to implement a health insurance scheme for those living in slums and those below the poverty line (BPL).
According to the proposal, the PMC will provide a health insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh for the medical treatment of each person who becomes a member of the scheme against an annual fee of Rs 100 and a membership fee of Rs 100.
The proposal states that the poor are provided treatment for general health problems at municipal dispensaries, but serious illnesses, diseases or surgeries are not conducted there and people have to shell out huge amounts of money at private hospitals.
“Often, the poor neglect getting treatment as they cannot afford it. Therefore, the insurance scheme is being proposed so that serious illnesses can be treated. The PMC will publish a list of recognised hospitals where the treatment can be availed of,” the proposal states.
An allocation of Rs 1.5 crore for the scheme has been made in the backward class welfare scheme of the 2008–09 budget.
While the scheme will be implemented through ward medical officers, the PMC has laid down some conditions. For example, members of this scheme will be admitted only in general wards.
“Expenditure for admission in special wards will have to be borne by the member. Moreover, expenses on the patient after he has been discharged from the hospital will not be borne by the PMC. This scheme will initially be implemented on a pilot basis,” the proposal states.
Proposal to hike honourarium
Despite elected members and citizen activists’ protest against the corrupt practices and scams of the civic school board, the administration has tabled a proposal to hike the honourarium of school board members. The proposal states that the state government has issued an order for all civic bodies in the state to increase the honourarium of the school board members Rs 3,000 a month to Rs 4,000 a month.
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