
Thursday, 21 January 2021
दोहोरो नागरिकता प्रकरण - एक भिन्न सोंच
11 Gorkha Riffles veterans rally was organised at Bengdubi, Siliguri on 20 Jan 2021
Friday, 15 January 2021
Private hospitals reject Swasthya Sathi card holders despite Mamata Banerjee’s warning
At least two incidents have come to the fore on Thursday and Friday where patients with the card were denied treatment by the hospital authorities, leading to a death at Siliguri in North Bengal.
70-year-old Mohammad Gaffar, who was a resident of Matigara in Siliguri, died on Thursday after several hospitals in the city refused to admit him. His family members allege that the nursing homes asked for payment in cash, which they were unable to pay.
It has led to a tense situation in the region with minister and senior TMC leader calling an immediate meeting with the hospital authorities, reported Bengali portal The Wall.
A similar incident has been reported from Kolkata. A nursing home in Baghajotin has been accused of denying treatment to a Swasthya Sathi card holder.
The patient, named Sikha Rani Sen, went to the Red Plus Nursing Homes with abdominal pain. The doctors had ordered an immediate operation for her.
Son Kanu Sen wanted to use her mother’s Swasthya Sathi card to bear the treatment cost. However, the hospital rejected his plea forcing him make a cash payment, claimed Kanu.
Swasthya Sathi is a flagship scheme launched by the TMC government, providing health cover of up to ₹5 lakh per annum to a family for secondary and tertiary care.
The scheme was launched in 2016. But it has made headlines as a part of the state’s ‘Duare Sarkar’ initiative — a mass outreach programme for doorstep delivery of several welfare schemes’ benefits under the West Bengal government.
Earlier this week, Mamata Banerjee had warned private hospitals and nursing homes of license cancellation if they refuse to acknowledge her government’s Swasthya Sathi health card from patients.
“If anyone (private hospitals and nursing homes) refuses to provide healthcare facilities under the ‘Swasthya Sathi’ scheme, the government has the power to cancel its license. This health scheme is for the poor. No one should harass the poor,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said.
“There are many top-notch hospitals which have refused to accept the government’s ‘Swasthya Sathi’ health card on occasions. We want to tell them that they do not have an option. Even small nursing homes in the districts, too, have to accept the cards.
“We are also enlisting smaller nursing homes in the districts under this health scheme so that citizens can avail facilities close to their residence. We would also speak to them, and the state’s chief secretary will meet them so that no person is harassed,” she added.
SNS
Tuesday, 12 January 2021
BJP embarks on hill drive - Defections from Gurung and Tamang Morcha factions to saffron camp
The event at Champasari in Siliguri — the first of its kind for the BJP — marked a significant change as until recently, the BJP did not even have full-fledged district committees for Darjeeling (hills) and Kalimpong.
“It’s clear that the BJP wants its own presence in the hills. And the joinings today (Tuesday) suggest that they want to expand using the known Gorkha faces,” said an observer.
Both the Bimal Gurung and Binay Tamang factions of the Morcha suffered losses as the BJP got leaders from the two camps in its first major induction programme.
The list of leaders who swung to the BJP included L.M. Lama, former organisational secretary of the Morcha and Sawan Rai, central committee leader of the Morcha (both from the Tamang camp), B.P. Bajgain, former spokesman Morcha, Shankar Adhikari, former Morcha president (Terai), Kumar Chamling, secretary, (Kalimpong subdivision committee) of the Morcha, all from Bimal Gurung’s camp, and Swaraj Thapa, former political advisor to Gurung, as well as retired government officials, writers and lawyers.
“The induction has clearly given a fillip to BJP’s plan to expand its party on its own capacity,” said a hill observer.
The BJP won the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha election with Bimal Gurung’s support. In 2019, they won both Lok Sabha and Darjeeling Assembly bypoll seat with support from Gurung’s Morcha and other hill parties like Gorkha National Liberation Front, Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists, Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League and Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Morcha among others.
While Gurung severed ties with the BJP, other hill parties are part of the NDA fold.
Darjeeling MP from the BJP Raju Bista also criticised Gurung at the event.
“Earlier, I thought daju (Bimal Gurung) would take care of the place and I would focus on Delhi,” said Bista. “He (Gurung) showed me the right direction but he took the wrong route.”
He dismissed Gurung’s taking credit for his (Bista’s) win. “No single party or person was responsible for my win. People ensured my victory,” said Bista.
On Gurung demanding Bista’s resignation, the latter said: “I will not resign.” He added it was because of hill politicians that Gorkha issues were unresolved till date. Bista said he was committed to resolve “identity” issues of Gorkhas and added that the BJP would fulfil the promises of granting tribal status to 11 hill communities and finding a permanent political solutionto the region.
Source : The Telegraph