BANGALORE: Just good intentions are not enough to script success stories and the much acclaimed Yashaswini health insurance programme for the poor has turned out to be another classic case of a grand plan going awry.
Thanks to the cart before the horse approach, the illequipped government hospitals have made the scheme practically a non-starter in several hospitals of the state.
The scheme has also become a victim of nepotism.
Costly private hospitals get preference under the scheme whereas the few government hospitals seeking the trust's blessings remain ignored and, consequently, the government hospital authorities cry foul.
``Without adequate infrastructural facilities, how can we implement the scheme? We do not have even the adequate facilities even for the screening of the patients," lamented Dr M Vishwaradhya, Medical superintendent, KC General hospital, which is one of the network hospital for the scheme.
The Rs 80 crore scheme was launched amid much fanfare in 2003 for farmers enrolled with co-operative socities for treatment of sophisticated surgeries.
The Yashaswini beneficiary is entitled to avail himself or herself of the benefit of 1,600 surgical procedures and coverage for stabilisation of medical emergencies like snake bites, electric shocks and farm accidents for an amount of Rs 1,500.
Speaking to the Express, Dr Shenoy, Medical superintendent of Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology said: ``The hospital gets only seven to eight Yashaswini beneficiaries monthly, which is less when compared to private hospitals. Patients are in fact asked to prefer the private hospitals where the treatment is expensive than our hospital Pointing out the drawbacks of the scheme he also mentioned that the patients only get the surgery done from the hospital, which is not enough for the cancer treatment.
"Radiation and chemotherapy is also required for cancer treatment which, yes!, is not covered under the scheme''.
According to the experts, the private hospitals and clinics are always keen on implementing the schemes as it brings lucrat ive packages through treatment of underpriviledge class.
On the contrary Yashaswini trust always prefers private hospital so that there monopoly may not go away.
Devi Shetty, Chairman of Narayana Hrudalaya, one of the largest heart hospital chains in the country said, ``Most of the hospitals are already over crowded with patients. The scheme was launched with an aim to decongest the existing hospitals so that patients can avail better medical treatment.'' S R Naik, the Chief Executive Officer of the Yeshaswini Cooperative Farmers Healthcare Trust, corroborated these discrepancies and the lamentable condition of the scheme while speaking to Express: ``A total of 385 hospitals are the network hospital of the scheme out of which only 38 are the government hospitals.
"Patients merely ask for the list of hospitals from the district coordinators. Owing to the inadequate infrastructural facilities and services in the government hospitals, patients themselves select the private hospitals''.