Indian Express
22 June 2010
By Surbhi Khyati
Lucknow, India

According to a government order, dated June 17, half of the incentives will be distributed among the staff of the surgery or other department where treatment is done. Of this, 50 per cent will be given to the chief surgeon or physician, 25 per cent to the assistant medical officer, 15 per cent to nursing staff and 10 per cent to other staff members involved in the surgery or treatment
TO encourage the staff T at government hospi tals to bring more patients under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), the government will now be paying incentives to the staff and doctors of government hospital.

As much as 25 per cent of the insurance money deposited with the Rogi Kalyan Samiti for a patients treatment will be distributed among the hospital staff as incentive.

According to a government order, dated June 17, of the 25 per cent, half will be distributed among the staff of the surgery or other department where the treatment is done.

Of this, 50 per cent will be given to the chief surgeon or physician, 25 per cent to assistant medical officer, 15 per cent to nursing staff and 10 per cent to other staff members involved in the surgery or treatment. Further, 10 per cent of the amount will be distributed among the ward staff, staff nurse and other fourth grade employee.

Another 15 per cent will be distributed among the staff of diagnostic wings like pathologists and x-ray technicians. 10 per cent will also be distributed among other administrative staff and the remaining 15 per cent will go for system improvement.

While the incentives will be paid to the nursing staff as per their duties, lab technicians will only get their share if the tests are done in the hospital’s or treatment labs. The incentive will equally be distributed among the staff if more than one staff is on the same post.

According to the govern ment directive, the system is being implemented for a year on an experimental basis for the promotion of the scheme.

RSBY was launched in April 2008 for 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh, which was later taken to all the districts of the state.Under the scheme, smart card is given to below poverty line families of the state for Rs 30 which ensures a medical coverage worth Rs 30,000 for the family if the patient is admitted in the hospital.

While the state bears 25 per cent of the insurance amount, 75 per cent is taken care by the Central government. Of more than 89 lakh below poverty line families, 39.6 lakh were card holders till March. Of the 19,220 families who had availed the facility till March 25, merely 149 patients went to government hospitals, giving the hospitals a share of only Rs 8.6 lakh out of the total claimed amount of Rs 10.85 crore.

"While the governments, state and Central, are paying huge amount of money to the insurance company, neither the public nor the government sector is getting any benefit out of the system while the insurance company is enjoying the profits," said a senior medical officer.

"Though the private hospitals have touts to bring in card holders in the hospital, the government hospitals cannot do that," added the officer.