A welfare state only for politicos

Sukh Ram, while officiating as the Minister of State for Communication, went abroad to get coronary angiography done and his case was recommended on August 22, 1995.

His medical bill amounted to Rs 23,21,636 and according to the government he was recommended for treatment abroad “keeping in view the certificate by Head of the Department, Cardiology, in Ram Manohor Lohia hospital here.”Buta Singh’s wife, Manjit Kaur, was recommended for treatment abroad for mulysystem auto-immune disease with glamemlonophritis and the government reimbursed a medical bill of 21480.35 pound sterlings (approx Rs 12,45,860).

The reason for recommendations was “in view of the deteriorating health conditions”.

Lt Governor of Pondicherry, Rajendra Kumari Bajpai, was recommended on December 5, 1996, for treatment in a foreign country for chronic complications of diabetes and was reimbursed $ 34,432 (approx Rs 11 lakh).

In Bajpai case too, the recommendations were silent as to why she needed treatment abroad.

V P Singh, who needed medical attention for renal failure, was recommended for treatment abroad on January 30, 1997. The medical bill on this account paid by the government amounted to Rs 5,19,656.

In cases of most of the Members of Parliament, who were recommended for treatment abroad, the list either said, “information being collected” or “Lok Sabha secretariat yet to receive debits to be raised by respective embassies/high commissions.”

The Health Ministry is yet to gather information as to how much was spent on the medical treatment abroad of following MPs – Kanshi Ram (who was recommended twice on August 14, 1995 and January 24, 1996, for treatment of `heart disease’), Ram Niwas Mirdha, M M Hashim, Ankush Rao Tope and Kailash Narain Sarang.

Available information indicates that P Upendra, while being an MP, was allowed to get himself treated abroad for cyst in pancreas & micropsia retinopathy.

Reimbursement of his air-fares alone cost the government Rs 2,86,630, which raised many eye brows in the court with counsel for the petitioner saying, “a round the world first class air ticket would not cost as much”.

The ministry said it was gathering information as to how much government spent on the medical bill of Upendra.

In the case of Tej Singh Rao Bhonsle, who as an MP was recommended for treatment abroad on January 3, 1996, the government paid him Rs 6,32,399 as reimbursement of his medical bill.