Ajmer Alam Wani
JAMMU, Mar 12: The Jammu and Kashmir state administration seems got trapped by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd on making its employees lose their hard earned money to the private player, on the pretext of providing them medical facilities under Group Mediclaim Insurance Policy ICICI-Lombard at the lesser known private hospitals where majority of the patients would prefer not to risk their lives in the absence of modern medical facilities.
Unfortunately, those claiming to be the representatives of the employees as union leaders are also a party to this move of the government. Though they had given representations to government mentioning few demands for the welfare of the employees but the sources revealed that only a few or negligible are being considered by top level in the administration the state administration.
The silence of the union leaders against the move of the government raises many questions on their role which is benefitting the ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd.
Worth mentioning here that the policy was proposal of the ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd came before the government in the year 2013 but that time Civil Secretariat Non-Gazetted Employees Union President, Rouf Ahmed Butt disagreed and was against giving money out of state to any profit making company instead he was in-favour of strengthening any state owned organization by equipping with similar facility.
The policy was implemented for Gazetted employees in 2014 with the condition that Non Gazetted employees or any sizable group etc can opt for the policy any time during the policy period. There was no talk or representation for a year by any group for inclusion of Non-Gazetted employees but in the last financial year of the three year policy the process started gaining momentum and now the implementation is in final stage.
The policy can be good for the non-gazetted employees if the duration is made from one year to at least three otherwise is would be just helping the ICICI Lombard to accumulate huge money to make profits after extracting the money from salaried non-gazetted class serving the state day and night.
ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd in response to a query raised by the JK MONITOR, about the profits or losses recorded, during till date, relation with the JK Government, claimed through its representative from Mumbai, “this is a three year contract to provide health insurance benefits to J&K Govt Employees. In the period till date (approximately 21 months), the company has paid more claims in terms of amount compared to the premium received”.
The claim made by the ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd clearly indicates that this private player is trying hard to overcome the losses it incurred and for this they have succeeded in convincing the administration to impose the policy on non gazetted employees for just one year.
According to Director General Accounts and Treasuries (DGAT) Altaf Hassan Mirza, Jammu and Kashmir state has round about 5.5 lakh employees out of which 80 percent are Non Gazetted. “The exact figures will be available with DG Budget,” he added. We tried to contact the DG Budget three times but the personal section staff told us that all the officers are busy in budget preparation being presented on 14, 15 March.
Going ahead with our queries about issuing the Health Insurance Cards, the representative of the ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd said, “The Company has already provided cards to all employees that are covered under the scheme. Any employees that may be added in due course of time as per instructions of the government, they will be provided with cards within 2 weeks”, she claimed.
But the truth is far-away and the ground reality is, it will not be possible for the ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd to provide the cards to over 5 lakh employees in just 2 weeks. The reason of contradicting this claim is visible and simple, to prepare any card, it will take months to collect the data about the employees from all corners of the state keeping in view the topography of the state.
The preparation of over 5 lakh cards will take time and then dispatching and reaching the right place like Tangdhar, Paddar etc and other far off places will be challenge.
And the most astonishing fact we came to know during our employees’ friendly investigation was the case of Nissar Ahmad, Under Secretary to Government, Housing and Urban Development Department. The three year policy is in its last phase but the said officer is yet to receive the ICICI Lombard Health Care Card from the ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. Despite paying the premium regularly, the officer is denied the facility and services in the absence of Health Insurance Card. Talking to JK MONITOR, the officer said that he has visited ICICI Lombard office at Bahu Plaza several times and got only assurances and the latest and most recent assurance was the card will be issued in next slot.
Though this policy is already in place in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and from the last two years was applicable to gazetted employees only which constitute roughly around 20 percent while the non gazetted employees makes it to round about 80 percent were till now kept out of the policy.
Since the PDP-BJP alliance failed to form elected government in the state, and the state is under Governors rule, the implementation process of the said policy on non-gazetted employee’s gains momentum and now if the sources are to be believed is in final stage, seeking final node of the State Administration Council (SAC) headed by the Governor.
In general, this policy can be advantageous for the employees as well as government, provided the administration does not allow itself get trapped in the hands of profit generators.
Going by the developments taking place at the administration level, it seems the government has failed to understand the hidden agenda of the private player (profit generators) and is helping them in extracting money from the employees.
Usually such policies are implemented with the start of a financial year and taking this fact in mind, this policy is likely to be implemented by the Govt if approved by the SAC, from April 1, 2016.
Though the final node for its implementation has to be given by SAC but the Private Company and the State Administration has reportedly agreed to implement this policy on non-gazetted employees for one year starting April 1, 2016.
With its implementation, government save its exchequer of paying for settlement of medical bills of the employees till now and the employees will get pre-defined medical facilities at some selected hospitals.
Here, the major concern is, the duration of the policy is just one year and if implemented, it will be a win-a-win situation for the private player and the government, but the employee will be the ultimate looser as the policy has a hidden motive in its short duration of just one year.
Practical things on ground will go in a systematic way and are time consuming and no wonder if it takes a year to complete the paper process and till than the validity of the policy bond will be over between the government and the private player (ICICI Lombard).
When it comes to deducting the premium from the salaries of employees, will be done with effect from April, 2016 but when it comes to take the services from the specified hospitals that will not be possible until the employees get a company document/card, which means employees would be forced by the own government to pay the premium for private player but when it comes to get the services from the specified hospitals, that will be available only after the cards get prepared by the private player and then finally dispatched to the employee.
Relevant to mention here that when this policy was first implemented two years back for the gazetted employee, a number of employees received the card after five months; the delay denied them of getting the facility for first five months even after paying the premium.
If the policy implemented on just 20 percent employees took such a delay time, than it can be easily imagined, how much time it will take to collect the data, filling forms, checking and rechecking the errors, filling other formalities and then getting prepared the cards and then ensuring the cards reach all employees, in connected as well as unconnected belts. No wonder some employee may receive the ICICI Lombard Health Care Card after the policy term is expired.
(These are the views of Author)
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