Over 3L availed health scheme since 2020-21: Health minister

Dehradun: During Question Hour of the ongoing budget session on Thursday, Congress MLA from Almora Manoj Tewari asked state health minister Dhan Singh Rawat about pending payments under the state govt health scheme. Rawat said that since 2020-21, around 3.24 lakh govt employees and their family members had availed services under the scheme and payments of Rs 771 crore had been made.However, dues of about Rs 248 crore remain pending. Of this, Rs 180 crore is pending for empanelled hospitals, while Rs 68 crore is due as reimbursements to employees. The minister said the monthly contribution by govt employees and pensioners under the scheme is about Rs 12 crore, while the expenditure is around Rs 20 crore.Rawat said that CM Pushkar Singh Dhami provided loans of Rs 37 crore and Rs 75 crore to the state health authority to meet expenses and clear payments. He added that employees in pay levels 1 to 5 contribute a minimum of Rs 250 per month, while those in level 12 and above contribute Rs 1,000 per month. The department has held discussions with employee organisations on increasing the contribution.Replying to another question by MLA Virendra Kumar, the minister said 310 private and govt hospitals have been empanelled under the state govt health scheme so far. Efforts are underway to include more major private hospitals.