The State government has announced a series of guidelines for effective implementation of the Employees’ Health Scheme, a comprehensive cashless treatment scheme for employees and pensioners of the State government and their dependent family members.
The government has released Rs. 50 crore to NTR Vaidya Seva as one-time advance to establish EHS revolving fund to be operated exclusively for the employees’ healthcare.
The amount would be treated as permanent advance to the implementing agency, NTR Vaidya Seva, and should be replenished every month or earlier based on the submission of the statement of expenditure by the NTR Vadiya Seva Trust Chief Executive Officer.
Adequate funds
“The Trust would have funds adequate to finance two months of EHS payments at any given time,” Finance Department Principal Secretary P.V. Ramesh said in the guidelines issued to streamline the implementation of the scheme.
The department would issue comprehensive budget release order in April every year authorising the release of the government’s contribution towards the scheme. The Director of Treasuries and Accounts has been designated as the nodal officer for the overall management of finances relating to the scheme, including monthly deduction of the employees/pensioners contribution.
The drawing and disbursement officers has been directed to deduct the monthly contribution due to the EHS from the salary of the employees and forward the schedule of deduction along with the pay bills to the concerned treasury every month.
The treasury officers in-charge would scrutinise the bills to ensure that necessary deductions are made in accordance with the provisions under the scheme. At the district level, the district treasury officers should deduct the contribution from the pensions and prepare a schedule of deductions from the pensions disbursed for the month. The nodal officer has been authorised to withdraw amount equivalent to the employees/pensioners monthly contribution and transfer the same to the PD account created for the EHS.
In case of employees on deputation and those working on foreign service like AP Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, the procedure followed under the contributory pension scheme would be adopted.
Settlement of claims
The government has directed the NTR Trust CEO to settle the claims of the hospitals relating to the EHS within 15 days of the claim being preferred by the hospital and “there should be no lapse in this regard.” The NTR Vaidya Seva Trust should not mix the EHS implementation with other programmes being implemented by the agency.
Reconciliation
While the nodal officer and the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust CEO would reconcile the accounts relating to the EHS every month and furnish the report to the government, the Health Department Principal Secretary and the Finance secretary (expenditure) would jointly review the implementation of the EHS and take remedial measures as required to ensure streamlined implementation of the scheme.
