Referral clinics no pill for ills: Telangana govt employees

Hyderabad: Over four lakh state government employees and two lakh pensioners are angry at the TS government's move to make approval by referral clinics mandatory to avail free treatment in corporate hospitals as part of employees’ health scheme.

The government is planning to set up referral clinics across the state for the purpose. The TS government announced the new health scheme in October 2014 as a ‘Diwali gift’ for employees to provide cashless treatment without any upper limit on medical expenses.

However, the scheme failed to take off even after nearly two years, as none of the corporate hospitals is honouring the government health cards saying that the rates prescribed by the state for treatment were meagre.

Only a few lower-rung private hospitals are accepting these cards, while employees demand medical treatment only in corporate hospitals. Employees suspect that this move is aimed to deny them and their family members treatment in corporate hospitals.

“We don't want any free scheme. We are ready to pay the premium like earlier. We want is health cards that can be used in all hospitals,” said A. Padma Chary, TS Secretariat Employees Association.

Employees fear that the referral clinics run by the government would not recommend treatment in corporate hospitals unless there is no other alternative.The free goods are also taxed which are not fair. Tax on tax is a problem for the construction sector, the FTAPCCI said.

Goods transformed free of cost will also be taxed and this has to be changed. The government should give amnesty of six months to one year before levying of penalties.

Section 73(1) provides for various offences which attract prosecution. Clause (a) of Section 73(1) is for offences of issuing incorrect invoices and clause (c) of Section 73(1) provides for tax collected but not paid over a period of 3 months is also subject to prosecution.

In a business, it is these actions could occur inadvertently without any ill intention. Prosecuting for such offences is too harsh. It is required that it be re-phrased, the FTAPCCI said. The provisions under Section 78(2) for compounding of offence are very harsh.