E-Paper
Surgeries of chronically ill children in Pune pending under RBSK
A total seven families in Pune district are waiting for the past one month for their chronically ill children to undergo heart surgeries and cochlear implants free-of-cost at hospitals empanelled with the government for the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK)
A total seven families in Pune district are waiting for the past one month for their chronically ill children to undergo heart surgeries and cochlear implants free-of-cost at hospitals empanelled with the government for the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) or ‘Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Programme’. The reason behind the waiting is that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) or contract signed between these hospitals and the state government – which is renewable every year and under which, these children can avail treatment and surgeries for free – is over and still to be renewed by the state health department.
As the MoU or contract of more than 20 hospitals in Maharashtra and all hospitals in Pune district is over and awaiting renewal, these hospitals have stopped providing free treatment and surgeries to such chronically ill children under the RBSK, forcing their families to run from pillar to post in search of other free or discounted treatments.
The RBSK was launched in 2013 and focuses on early screening, medical- and surgical- management of children. Under the RBSK, surveys and screening tests of children aged zero to 18 years are carried out twice a year at government and government-aided schools in Maharashtra. The children are provided free treatment and surgeries if they are students of government and government-aided schools. They are first taken to the District Early Intervention Centre (DIEC) and then to hospitals which have a MoU with the government in case further management is required. Income proof is not required to avail the benefit of RBSK. A total 42 hospitals are empanelled with the government for RBSK.
Mangesh Awtade who has been trying to get his boy, 5, operated for a cardiac ailment, said, “The team at the Aundh Hospital helped us a lot but my son needs to get operated. The contract between the hospital and government is over. We don’t know what to do and everyone at home is disturbed.”
“I have been looking forward to some financial help from the ‘Chief Minister’s Relief Fund’ or some charitable trust to get my child operated. Even if the MoU is over and the hospital is ready to give us some discount, we will borrow, take a loan, do whatever to get my son operated,” Awtade said.
Balaso Pharande, who has been waiting since January for his boy, 3, to undergo cardiac surgery, has a different story. “The surgery of my son is awaited as I don’t have an income certificate. I have given my ration card for correction and only after I get it will I be able to get a new income certificate from the tehsildar’s office. I had given my documents earlier along with the income certificate but the RBSK people said that my income certificate is invalid as the last financial year ended in March. But I am sure it was valid when I submitted it earlier…” Pharande said.
It is a similar story for five other families with children aged one-and-a-half to four years. Of the seven families waiting for the renewal of the contract between the hospitals and the state government, three have children requiring cardiac surgeries while four have children in need of cochlear implants.
Dr Ashish Purnale, district coordinator of RBSK for Pune district, informed that not a single cardiac surgery or cochlear implant procedure has been performed in Pune district in the past one month. “The state government has even issued a common letter last year to the hospitals to get their contracts renewed. We first give priority for procedures under MPJAY and then RBSK,” Dr Purnale said.
He said that they are taking help from different charitable and other schemes at hospitals to get medical aid for these children. “The patients for cardiac surgery were sent to different hospitals but they declined as the procedures were complex. Also, cochlear implants are carried out only at one hospital in the state and the renewal with the hospital is pending,” Dr Purnale said.
A senior officer of RBSK from the state health department on condition of anonymity said that the people at the district level should speed up the process of contract renewal, and follow-up with and inspect the hospitals and send them the report. “To avoid such issues in future, we are working on getting the MoUs for a longer period of two to three years. The MoUs will be renewed batch-wise and I am going to Mumbai tomorrow and have taken the documents of eight hospitals for the same,” he said.
