AGARTALA, Sep 19 (TIWN): Amid much resentments, Govt of Tripura has started Ayushman Bharat scheme in the poverty-gripped state by snatching free medical services from the Govt hospitals. West DM Sandeep Mahatme along with other officials flagged off the Ayushman Bharat van which will campaign for Ayushman Bharat project with PM Modi and Tripura CM Biplab Deb’s photo. In a pre-privatization mode, Govt of Tripura has scrapped Free-Medical-Service in the State Government Hospitals, has generated massive resentments across the state already. Interestingly, scrapping of free medical services has included a BJP active kariyakarta’s arrest in Tripura after he posted in WhatsApp chatting against CM Biplab Deb for snatching free medical services. The arrested BJP member is Bishal Singha is a first year student. When Govt is imposing Ayushman Bharat scheme under public demanded total-free-health services in Govt hospitals for all regardless any economic class.

Under the previous Govt, Health Service was almost free and Govt set target to make hospital services total free, but not even considering the Northeast state’s special status, BJP Govt has snatched free-medical-service from all hospitals which caused also a person’s death recently. Pramod Modok according to his wife and GB hospital doctors died after failed to manage money for operation.

Public are denying oxygen in the hospitals as it is now charged Rs. 50. Even Govt has imposed food charges which is much costlier than the food quality at Rs. 50.

Govt said, for BPL families all will be free, whereas BPL card holing poor are merely 10% in the state and thus sky broken on the rest of poor and middle class people. For example, many people are from APL families but financial condition is not stable due to multiple reasons, many are burdened by loan and many suffer from family issues.

Apart from that, how many people from APL families can pay Rs. 10000 for operation and ICU charge Rs. 600 per day ? At the same time, West Bengal Govt has announced 100% free medical services.  

Reacting over BJP Govt’s continuous press for the ‘Ayushman Bharat project’, CPI-M Tripura convenor  Bijan Dhar said that in the name of Ayushman Bharat Govt is actually taking away public funds and handing over to the private companies. Referring AIG which is controlling Ayushman Bharat in collaboration with Indian corporates, Dhar said, AIG like private companies are actually failed companies in the markets of America. Tripura had earlier state-illness funds and common men faced tough times to get their moneys from Govt insurance companies and these are private companies, said Bijan Dhar.He further said, just like Fasal Bima Yojna, this project of the BJP Govt is also to loot public money via private companies and beneficiaries also will be under trouble.CPI-M further demanded a total restoration of the Ayusman Bharat project. 

Congress leader Panna Deb told the BJP Govt that Govt hospitals are not anybody’s father’s property that business can be started there.

Congress leader Gopal Roy  said, “Tripura Health Dept’s imposition of taxes on the patients should be recorded in Guinness Book, it is equal to Mughal’s Jizya-tax and British’s Nil-Tax on the Indians”.