Price of a syringe put at Rs 60 ! Need to probe the ‘scam’
|
Sugnu Assembly Constituency MLA K Ranjit was in his element in the Assembly on March 16 and what a significant point he brought up for discussion. It was with a reason why The Sangai Express picked out, italised and gave in bold two paragraphs of the input provided by the said MLA on the floor of the Assembly. Agreed package for the surgery of a leg fracture was Rs 14,000 but the total bill came up to Rs 55,000 and after the health card of the patient covered portion of the total cost, the said patient still ended up paying Rs 41,000, was the information furnished by the MLA. How did an operation calculated to cost Rs 14,000 ended with a bill of Rs 55,000 is the point that can be inferred from the inputs of the MLA and while the total cost may have been calculated on the basis of the charge payable by way of staying at the hospital, the nursing cost, and other miscellaneous charges, it says something significant that the patient still ended up paying Rs 41,000 after the cover given by the health card in his possession. Out of the total of Rs 55,000 the patient ended up paying Rs 41,000 which in effect means that the health card covered Rs 14,000, which incidentally is the cost of operation pegged before the patient was operated upon ! Put the total amount that was served on the patient against the information furnished by the MLA that the price of a syringe was put at Rs 51 at some of the empanelled private hospitals while in the case of JNIMS it was put at Rs 60 per syringe, Rs 28.60 at RIMS and Rs 20 at Shija Hospital and things should tell its own story. The market rate of a syringe is about Rs 7 ! To give further substance to his stand, the MLA took the trouble of informing the House that a patient who stayed at a hospital for 10 days was charged for 215 syringes. One does not need to be a doctoral student of Mathematics to work out that this means that the said patient used 21 syringes per day ! This is ludicrous and an insult to the intelligence of the people of Manipur and one hopes the Chief Minister delivers more on the probe assured to look into the Health Card ‘scam’. What is more hard to digest is the fact that the finding of the MLA came about after he studied cases brought to him by patients who are covered by different health schemes floated by the Centre and the Government of Manipur. Not every Tom, Dick and Harry can avail the health card, but only those whose income is under a certain figure. It is to help people who come in the lower income group that the health card scheme was floated and to think that they can be served with the cost of 215 syringes for a 10 day stay at the hospital is simply unacceptable. Something, somewhere is terribly wrong and goes against the understanding of a hospital which is there to serve the sick and the dying and one hopes the Chief Minister gives the matter the importance it deserves and ensure that a proper probe is initiated.
The MLA from Sugnu AC has done his job and this is what is expected from the Opposition. Not for nothing has it been the stand of The Sangai Express that what Manipur needs is a strong Opposition. An Opposition that can bring matters of importance on the floor of the Assembly. A strong and effective Opposition that is what Manipur needs. What is expected of the Government ? It is simple. People need good, motorable roads. People want a power supply that does not go off at the slight hint of the rustle of the leaves or when the sky opens up. People want regular water supply, water that is fit for human consumption. A healthcare system which is there to care for the sick and not a place to be suffocated by haughtiness. And yes good law and order, law to be enforced by disciplined men in uniform not those who throw their weight around and bend the law at their own will. And to ensure this, a strong and effective Opposition becomes indispensable. So far the Opposition, read the Congress, appears to be on the right track and the next task may perhaps be on the growing voice to keep the pending head count or census on hold, until a mechanism is put in place to weed out the illegal immigrants. How the Opposition goes about addressing these issues remains to be seen, but surely it cannot be blind to the growing demand that the census should be kept on hold until the illegals are sniffed out and identified. This will help in keeping the spirit of democracy alive.
The MLA from Sugnu AC has done his job and this is what is expected from the Opposition. Not for nothing has it been the stand of The Sangai Express that what Manipur needs is a strong Opposition. An Opposition that can bring matters of importance on the floor of the Assembly. A strong and effective Opposition that is what Manipur needs. What is expected of the Government ? It is simple. People need good, motorable roads. People want a power supply that does not go off at the slight hint of the rustle of the leaves or when the sky opens up. People want regular water supply, water that is fit for human consumption. A healthcare system which is there to care for the sick and not a place to be suffocated by haughtiness. And yes good law and order, law to be enforced by disciplined men in uniform not those who throw their weight around and bend the law at their own will. And to ensure this, a strong and effective Opposition becomes indispensable. So far the Opposition, read the Congress, appears to be on the right track and the next task may perhaps be on the growing voice to keep the pending head count or census on hold, until a mechanism is put in place to weed out the illegal immigrants. How the Opposition goes about addressing these issues remains to be seen, but surely it cannot be blind to the growing demand that the census should be kept on hold until the illegals are sniffed out and identified. This will help in keeping the spirit of democracy alive.