Mumbai: Major state-run hospitals cut off from free services plan

Khurshid Khan with his wife and son. The family has been seeking treatment at JJ for years, but, they say, no one ever told them about MJPJAY

Starting August 15, the Maharashtra government made available free-of-cost health services in 2,418 state-run health facilities. However, the scheme leaves out hospitals under the medical education department, which means the four major state-run hospitals, under the JJ Group of Hospitals in Mumbai, are not covered by the plan.

Only patients visiting the state-run General Hospital in Malad will be able to avail benefits under the new scheme. Along with expenditure on medical procedures, the scheme also waives registration fees, expenses for lab tests, and screening tests like ECG, X-ray, and CT. mid-day visited a few hospitals and found that no one at the hospital informs patients about such government policies.

Meanwhile, those visiting the JJ Group of Hospitals - which includes J J hospital, Gokuldas Tejpal (GT) Hospital, St.George's Hospital, and Cama And Albless Hospital - will still have to pay for treatment and other services, albeit at highly subsidised rates.

The major costs at these hospitals are covered by the Rs 1,50,000 insurance offered to below poverty line (BPL) families or those with yellow and orange ration cards under the state's flagship Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY). The scheme has been around for over a decade and covers around 996 medical procedures. Additionally, there is the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), which offers coverage of R5 lakh. However, many are still unaware of these government insurance schemes.

Patients unaware of schemes

Khurshid Khan and his son Sani Ul Khan, 18, visited J J hospital on Wednesday after the latter fractured his hand. The family has been seeking treatment at JJ for years now. "But no one ever told us about MJPJAY," said Khurshid.

Although there is a dedicated MJPJAY office in the hospital, it is tucked away in one corner on the ground floor - away from the immediate public eye. Khurshid said he was asked to purchase some of the prescribed medicines from private medical shops. He also had to pay for the X-ray. "What is free?" he questioned.

A Directorate of Health Services official told mid-day, "All hospitals covered by the public health department are included in the scheme. Apart from the one in Malad, there is also Bhimsen Joshi Hospital in Mira-Bhayander."

Meanwhile, public-health activist Dr Abhay Shukla - national co-convenor of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan - welcomed the government's initiative to provide free health services as a first step but said the goal has to be quality healthcare. "Completely free services need to be extended to medical college hospitals (like JJ) because that is where higher-level health care is offered and people often have to spend large amounts," he said. According to Shukla, Insurance schemes are indirect channels and not all cases fit the procedures covered by the schemes.

Aug 15
Day free health service plan was launched