Thursday, August 30, 2018

Why Biju Swasthya Yojana will destroy Govt. health system in Odisha


Why Biju Swasthya Yojana  will destroy Govt. health system in Odisha  and lead to corporatization of Health System in the state .

Dear friends
Today ( 30.8.18), Sambad has covered a news  that Capital Hospital located in the heart of Bhubaneswar, capital city of Odisha, around 2 kms away from residence of Chief Minister has shortage of 104 staff Nurse against required strength of the hospital. Similarly   few months back, information obtained under RTI from Health and Family Welfare Dept. has exposed  disastrous condition of Govt. hospitals  due to 50% of post of doctors  ( specialists, Professors and Assistants professors ) lying  vacant  in the state.  The new medical college and hospitals in different districts like Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bolangir and Koraput are seen shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff which has resulted in damaging academic atmosphere in these institutions. Mass media also continues to highlight defunct and damaging condition of costly medical instruments worth crores of rupees   due to vacancy of technical staff in these medicals to handle it.  Lack of infrastructure ,  transport system, doctors, para-medical staff  has  deprived  lakhs of  poor people  to get   basic health services  in  coastal odisha  nearer  to urban areas  as well  as remote pockets of the state .

Without taking any steps to solve these problems,  why the State Govt.  has launched  this  Biju  Swastya Yojana , a scheme for  assuring health coverage of  Rs. 5 lakh  to each family  and extra Rs. 2 lakh coverage for women in a year. There are few hidden objectives  behind  declaring this scheme  which are  as follows.

A.      It  will act  as safety valve  to save the Government  from public  criticism of deteriorating health system of the state and failure of the Govt. to provide health services  to the people , as it assures   financial support  to the poor  family  to  get treatment free of cost without paying a single pie  from his or her pockets. The people will get relax and  It  will also give political mileage  to BJD Govt.

B.      In view of  denial of health services  in Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres  and District Hospitals due to the reasons stated  above,  the people with  health card having assurance of  health coverage  free of cost,  will  go  to private  hospital to  get treatment  which  will comparatively better  than  Govt. hospitals. The public fund i.e., Govt. fund will directly flow to private business house running private hospitals through this scheme.  The private hospitals  will boom. The existing  loot, manipulation  and misappropriation of fund     in RSBY  Card and Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana  ( BKKY )  by private hospitals  will continue in  new scheme  and new form.  The State exchequer will   no doubt  will continue to suffer.

C.      The people  will  get satisfied  to some extent  getting  better treatment  in private  hospitals. It may help  the ruling party   strengthen vote bank. But in the long-run , it  will damage and destroy age-old   Govt. hospitals.  Finally  Govt. health delivery system  will  gradually collapse.  More dependency  of the people  on private hospitals  will  increase . It  will strengthen  exploitation of  private hospitals  in name of better health facility.

The people  who are supporting Biju Swastya Yojana and being swayed  away  by Nabin Patnaik propaganda must   understand  the  corporate- design motive of this  Govt. to destroy our Govt. health system and benefitting corporate house.

Pradip Pradhan , RTI Activist
M-9937843482
Date-30.8.18

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