Hyderabad, July 17: The Telangana government has introduced a new health scheme for government employees, pensioners, and their dependent families. This initiative will provide beneficiaries with cashless treatment at listed private hospitals across the state.
The scheme was launched by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Health Minister D. Srinivas at an event held at the state secretariat. During the ceremony, health cards were distributed to employees, and the NEHS portal was also inaugurated.
According to the government, approximately 800,000 government employees and pensioners, along with 2.98 million dependents, will benefit from this scheme. In total, around 3.78 million individuals will gain from this initiative.
Beneficiaries will have access to cashless admissions and treatments at 886 listed private hospitals in the state. The scheme includes 1,816 types of treatments and surgeries, with rates aligned to the central government health scheme.
Deputy Chief Minister Vikramarka stated that a special trust has been established for the effective and transparent operation of the scheme, involving equal participation from government officials and employee organizations.
He emphasized that the government aims to provide better health security for employees and their families while preventing financial crises due to medical expenses. The new health scheme seeks to address the issue of employees being forced to take loans for treatment during serious illnesses, leading to repayment difficulties.
The scheme was developed after extensive discussions on employee issues by a cabinet subcommittee formed under Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. Vikramarka chaired the committee, which included ministers Duddila Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, and Seethakka as members.
Vikramarka criticized the previous BRS government for neglecting employees, claiming it left behind unpaid bills totaling around ₹10,000 crore. He noted that the current government is releasing approximately ₹2,000 crore monthly to settle pending bills and that he personally reviews this every 15 days to ensure timely payments.
The Deputy Chief Minister highlighted that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao prioritizes education and health. In line with this, the Rajiv Aarogyasri scheme has increased the free treatment limit from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh, benefiting 10.6 million eligible families with access to free treatment in corporate hospitals.
He urged government employees to work with renewed energy and dedication, actively participating in the government’s welfare schemes, such as providing quality rice to the poor, free bus travel for women, free electricity for farmers, and 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers.
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