HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MAY 2 While the aam aadmi suffers for want of specialised treatment, it has been revealed that the health care of ten MLAs elected less than two years ago, has cost the public exchequer a whopping more than half a crore of rupees. Besides getting a salary of around 40,000-plus per month, the MLAs can avail of health benefits as provided under Member of Legislature Assembly Act. According to official documents, the maximum amount incurred by the Government was on the then Congress MLA of Pale Gurudas Gauns for his treatment in Mumbai hospital around a year ago. It was a whopping Rs 34 lakh-plus on his treatment in Mumbai where he was in the hospital for more than a month.In fact, after he complained of some chest pain here, Gauns was shifted to Mumbai where he was admitted to Bombay Hospital. Once he recovered from the cardiac-related ailment, he was part of a delegation which went to the Far East. However, soon after returning from the foreign tour, he again fell sick and was treated for heart and kidney complications. After many days in the Intensive Care Unit and/Coronary Care Unit, he breathed his last necessitating a by-election which his brother Pratap won later. The second biggest beneficiary is Aldona MLA and ex-minister Dayanand Narvekar. According to official records, he has availed of medical benefits for himself and also for his family all amounting to nearly Rs 10 lakh. Incidentally, he is the only MLA who has availed of the health scheme, for his family members, so far. Last monsoon, he underwent a knee surgery. That time he was still the minister for finance, law and judiciary. It was during this time, that the demand to drop him from the Cabinet, was strongly pursued by some leaders here with the High Command. And AICC General Secretary B K Hariprasad visited him reportedly asking him to resign and explaining the reasons why they were doing so, it seems he was on crutches. MLAs’ health @ govt’s wealth According to his supporters then, if he didn’t have the knee problem or was not operated, he would have rushed to Delhi and got the decision reversed through his Godfathers there. Interestingly, he blamed Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in a media interview later, for his sacking from the cabinet. Besides the knee operation he underwent in Mumbai, the knee operation of his spouse, treatment of his mother and follow-up treatment, are all covered under the scheme. This cost the Government Rs 9,81,736. The third biggest beneficiary is Home Minister Ravi Naik. The by-pass surgery he underwent in Bangalore last year, cost the Government Rs 4.80 lakh. As reported earlier, Naik was flown to Bangalore from a local hospital where he was admitted following complaints of chest pain. Timely treatment helped him to come out of the cardiac ailment, doctors said. Naik who lost the crown to Digambar Kamat after the 2007 assembly elections, has been less active since he underwent the bypass surgery. For the BJP legislator representing Mormugao, Milind Naik who was not keeping well for quite some time as he had coronary problem, the scheme came handy. Treatment for coronary artery disease cost the government Rs 4.09 lakh. On Panchayats Minister Manohar (Babu) Azgaonkar’s treatment for fracture on his neck, the cost came to Rs 2.37 lakh. A “general check-up and follow-up” of Speaker Pratapsing Rane cost the Government Rs 65,630. The cost incurred on Santa Cruz MLA Victoria Fernandes for treating her hypertension problem was Rs 18,489. After her attempt to resign from membership of the assembly in order to join the new dispensation which was planned to be formed under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar in July 2007, Mummy has not been keeping well on and off. More than one year ago, deputy speaker and Cortalim MLA Mauvin Godinho was treated for rib injury costing the State exchequer Rs 17,390. Similarly, BJP’s Damu Naik (Fatorda) submitted bills for MRI scan of his spine amounting to Rs 7656 while the cost of treatment for hypertension and diabetes of Anant Shet (Mayem) was Rs 8448. The scheme initially provided for medical benefits only for the
legislator but a few years ago, it was amended to take care of the family members as well. SPEAKER: As per the provisions of the Act, the Speaker has powers to sanction medical bills upto an amount of Rs 3 lakh. For amounts exceeding Rs 3 lakh, the medical bills are referred to a panel consisting of the Chief Minister, Speaker and Opposition Leader for sanction. EX-MLAs: There are 50 former legislators who have availed of the medical benefits over the years. For various types of ailments, the cost incurred by the government is a whopping Rs 4.27 crore.
