First Meeting of Employees’ Healthcare Trust Held
The first meeting of the Employees’ Healthcare Trust (EHCT) was conducted at the Secretariat under the leadership of Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao. Senior officials from different departments, along with representatives from employee, teacher, and pensioner associations, participated in the discussion.
The Chief Secretary stated that the government has speeded up arrangements to ensure better medical services for employees and pensioners through the revamped health scheme.
Employees’ Associations Submit Key Suggestions
During the meeting, association leaders shared several suggestions to strengthen the scheme. Major requests included:
- Increasing the treatment coverage limit from the earlier ₹2 lakh to at least ₹5 lakh per treatment episode.
- Including new types of cancer treatments under the scheme.
- Extending coverage to Ayurvedic treatments.
- Increasing the number of covered diseases and hospitals.
- Bringing more corporate hospitals under the EHS network.
Earlier, the scheme covered 1,885 diseases and was available in 514 hospitals.
Association leaders also highlighted the importance of timely payments to hospitals, stating that delays in settlement could affect the effectiveness of the scheme.
Important Decisions Taken by the Trust
The Employees’ Healthcare Trust made several important decisions during the meeting:
Contribution from Only One Spouse
If both husband and wife are government employees, the EHS contribution will be collected from only one spouse.
Refund of Extra Deduction
Since contributions were deducted from both spouses last month, orders will be issued to refund the additional amount collected.
Meeting with Hospitals and Officials
A meeting with hospital representatives, Health Department officials, and Trust members will be conducted within a week to finalize further arrangements.
Finalization of Package Rates and Hospitals
The package rates for treatments and the final list of hospitals included under EHS will be decided in the upcoming meeting.
Focus on Better Healthcare Services
The launch of the Employees’ Health Scheme is expected to provide stronger healthcare support and easier access to medical services for employees and pensioners. The government and employee associations are working together to make the scheme more effective and beneficial.
The meeting concluded with association leaders felicitating Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, who is scheduled to retire at the end of this month.