Present system of allowing medical-reimbursements at public-expense for various functionaries funded by the central and state public-exchequers including their undertakings and constitutional bodies is at times grossly misused and even provides unmatched medical-treatments like outside the country must be replaced by Mediclaim-policies for families of beneficiaries. There are reports of several crores of rupees claimed as medical-reimbursement by certain members of state-legislative assemblies. Many others are entitled for luxurious medical-tourism abroad. All this looks absurd in a country where government-hospitals are usually seen flooded with patients getting dates after dates even for urgent and petty aspects like blood-tests.
Law should be amended whereby all such medical-reimbursements at public-expense may be abolished for all including for those at top posts in legislature and judiciary. If needed, beneficiaries can be given Mediclaim-policies for families at public-expense.
In the meanwhile, to have an effective check on misuse of medical-reimbursements, all details of medical-reimbursements must be put on respective websites through legislation in this regard. It has become necessary because of Supreme Court turning down CIC-order allowing disclosure of medical-reimbursement amounts by individual judges.
Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
