Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today accused the SAD-BJP Government for cheating its 6.50 lakh employees and pensioners in the name of cashless health insurance scheme which was primarily meant to benefit the employees but ended up lining the pockets of owners of private hospitals.Bhagwant Mann , the campaign committee Chairman of AAP today said that Badal government has miserably failed to provide medical facilities to its employees and other sections of society. He said that state government has discontinued its much-publicised health insurance scheme which lacked planning and commitment. He said that private hospitals had submitted inflated bills forcing the hired insurance company to withdraw. He said that state government was left with no alternative because insurance company refused to continue the scheme after it incurred a loss of Rs.165 crores in a year. He added that Punjab Government had no money to fully finance the health insurance scheme Badal government had taken an overdraft of Rs.1850 crores in the month December from Reserve Bank of India to pay salaries and now trying to earn revenue by allowing four digit lotteries.Mann said that Punjab and Haryana High Court had censured the SAD-BJP government few days back for not paying Rs,350 crore arrears of pensioners. He said that account of Excise and Taxation department was attached. He added that it was slap on the face of Badal government which is launching popular schemes to woo the voters while its coffers are lying empty.
Mann said that cashless health scheme was an attempt by the SAD-BJP government to cover up collapse of primary and secondary health system in the state. He said that nobody wants to go for treatment in the government hospitals due to lack of infrastructure and specialist doctors. He said that free medicines and services of specialist doctors were available only in propaganda posters of SAD-BJP government.He said that earlier employees of state government were getting fixed medical allowance and reimbursement of indoor treatment. He said that cabinet has discontinued the cashless health scheme but as such no decision has been taken on payment of fixed medical allowance. The reimbursement of expenses on medical treatment in private hospitals is yet anybody’s guess. He said that when the reimbursement system was discontinued, the total liability of medical bills was Rs.160 crores. This much amount was the loss of insurance company.He said that Badal government has also brought cashless health care scheme for BPL families, which would provide free medical services of up to Rs 30,000 per annum under the Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Beema Yojna (BPSSBY). He said that this health scheme has also failed to take off due to scaling down the status of Community Heath Centers and Primary health centers at block and sub-division level. He said hospitals at district headquarters which are working also lack adequate medical facilities.
Mann said that Punjab Government had not even supplied wheat and pulses to the BPL families from April 2016 onward. Now a few days before the election code of conduct is expected to be enforced, the SAD-BJP government has purchased pulses for the month of December at an exorbitant rate which seemed another scam in the making. He said that same pulses which were purchased at Rs.77 per kg against the previous purchase at Rs.59 per kg.
Mann said that PUNSUP has spent Rs.40 crores on procurement of pulses. He said that AAP Government would hold an in depth probe of Atta-Dal scheme and expose the embezzlement of funds. He said that AAP was committed to provide better facilities for the BPL families.Mann also slammed Badal government for spate of suicides by debt ridden farmers. He said that suicide by Jagjit Singh a farmer of Faridkot district who also killed his three children was a shocking reminder of plight of farmer community in the state. He said that another farmer Chadinder Singh committed suicide yesterday in Jhunga Maha Singh village near Phillaur. He said that at an average three farmers were committing suicide every week, which is an alarming situation.Mann also appealed farmers not to end their lives and wait for AAP government to come to pwoer.