AP Forms 7-Member Committee For Proper Implementation Of EHS

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has appointed a seven-member committee, headed by Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand, to come up with suggestions to ensure proper implementation of Employees’ Health Scheme in the state.

Minister of health Satya Kumar Yadav said here on Thursday that the government had constituted the committee based on orders from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on October 18. The CM reportedly took the decision to form a committee following talks with the group of ministers and leaders of the employees’ unions on problems being faced to avail EHS.

The committee would comprise of special chief secretary or principal secretary from general administration department, finance secretary, health secretary, chief executive officer of Dr NTR Vaidya Seva Trust and two representatives from the employees’unions. The committee is expected to submit its report on proper implementation of EHS in eight weeks.

After introduction of EHS in undivided AP in 2018, there are 23,58,858 beneficiaries. Of them, 5,53,182 are employees, 2,29,964 are pensioners and 81,748 are pensioners’ family members.

Under the scheme, both the state government and the beneficiary bear 50 per cent of medical expenses. On an average, `350 crore used to be spent on the scheme.

During the meeting with the CM, delay in payment to the hospitals after providing treatment under the scheme, no revision of packages for providing medical treatment and lack of interest among the hospitals to provide treatment and no proper supervision on implementation of the scheme were raised.

The newly formed committee is expected to address the said issues.