By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 25 Nov: The Pushkar Singh Dhami Government has finally accepted the long time demand of the state government employees and pensioners that a separate health scheme be set-up for them.
It may be recalled that the health scheme of the government employees and pensioners had been clubbed with the Atal Ayushman Health Scheme for all the people of the state by the then Trivendra Singh Rawat Government, a move that had been strongly opposed by the government employees. They were demanding that a separate health scheme for the government employees and the pensioners be set up.
During several rounds of talks between the government and the employees’ unions, an assurance in this regard had been given by the government. However, no GO was issued in this regard, and the employees unions had threatened an agitation on this issue. Keeping the upcoming assembly elections in mind, the government could not have delayed issuing the GO any more.
According to sources, the GO issued today had been delayed by senior officials of the state health department as well as the state finance department in view of its financial implications. Finally, a GO was today issued under the signature of Secretary, Finance, Amit Singh Negi, thus fulfilling the demand. The new health scheme for the state government employees and the pensioners will cover all medical expenditure for all diseases and high level treatment costs. The new health scheme will be named the State Government Health Scheme (SGHS). The terms and conditions of this scheme would broadly be the same as those of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). It was further made clear in the order, that only those hospitals would be empanelled under the scheme that would agree to make available the benefit of all the medical treatment facilities available with them to the beneficiaries of the SGHS.
