Group Mediclaim: Take us on board before fresh tenders are floated: Employee leaders
Cancellation of Health Insurance Scheme
Srinagar: Clouds of uncertainty were already hovering over the much-hyped Health Insurance Scheme for the state employees, but the scheme was nevertheless rolled out, only to be cancelled by the Governor who termed the tendering process full of ‘frauds.’
‘Group Mediclaim Health Insurance Scheme’ for employees, pensioners and accredited journalists has proven to be a mere ‘faux pas’ and a game of ‘favouritism’, with Governor Satya Pal Malik Wednesday raising questions over it.
It seems that the something was already cooking on several fronts, as the stakeholders, employees in this case, who were to be benefitted by the scheme, were not taken on board. The government without any consultations, kick-started the scheme only to be cancelled mid-way.
With much fanfare, the scheme was rolled out on September 20 this year, only to be halted owing to frauds, as alleged by the Governor.
Malik said that he has “almost terminated” the contract after an investigation. “It will take a couple of days (for the official cancellation order) to come.”
The scheme was already a part of political chit-chat, with Congress earlier accusing the government of favouring ‘Reliance’ that was offered the contract. The company, however, refused the allegation and said that it had won the tender, which was never floated, through a ‘transparent’ and ‘rigorous’ process.
The allegations are now proven, as was admitted by Governor Malik during a TV interview that the process was in favour of one particular company and that the tenders were never floated.
“I have studied it myself. The problem is that the government did not issue any tenders. A private company had asked for tenders on behalf of another company. Those bids were not displayed anywhere. The tenders were changed to suit a particular company,” Malik said.
“It was full of frauds. I discussed the issue with the Chief Secretary and made it clear that such things can’t happen in my presence. So, we decided to cancel it.”
Same was alleged by the Congress President, Rahul Gandhi soon after the JK government chose ‘Reliance General Health Insurance Company Ltd’ as an executive agency.
“When your BFF is the PM, you can get the 1,30,000 Cr. Rafale deal, even without relevant experience. But wait. There’s more! Apparently, 400,000 JK Govt staff will also be arm-twisted into buying health insurance ONLY from your company!” Gandhi had tweeted.
Employees are also pointing towards a ‘fraud’ and ‘wrongdoings’ in the scheme, as they are saying that they were not consulted by the government. At the same time, the employees are appreciating swift action by the Governor.
“It was already full of flaws, we were not taken on board, and we were already apprehensive of what has now been brought to the fore by the Governor,” said QayoomWani, President, Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC).
“We didn’t know anything about it (scheme), what diseases were to be covered under it, the hospitals that were identified where the benefits could be availed, nothing,” he added.
Employees Leader, Aijaz Khan also said that they were not consulted when the policy was being framed and that the employees were already “against” it.
“We were not consulted at all, and were against it. Now that the Governor has cancelled the scheme, owing to some corrupt practices, we welcome the move and expect more on this from the Governor,” he said.
An order issued by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in September this year, which had finalized Reliance for the execution of the scheme reads “The policy has been tied with M/s Reliance General Health Insurance Company Ltd on an annual premium of Rs 8,777 and Rs 22, 229 (for employees and pensioners respectively).”
After the government order and soon after the Rahul Gandhi alleged ‘favouritism,’ Reliance General Insurance also reached out to clarify and had said that it won the contract to provide health insurance coverage to Jammu and Kashmir government staff after a “rigorous and transparent competitive tender process”—the process that has been termed as full of ‘fraud’ by the Governor and the process that was, as the Governor said, changed to suit a particular company.
Now that the fraud has been detected and the scheme, as of now, stands cancelled, the employees are demanding an open tendering process to be initiated and all the stakeholders to be taken on board.
“The stakeholders should be taken on board and an open tendering process has to be initiated without much delay,” said EJAC President.
