Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, May 23: In total contrast to the set guidelines issued by the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department, the Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitras (PMAMs) are not getting their incentive share as guaranteed under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)-SEHAT scheme across GMC Associated Hospitals in Srinagar.
In this regard, the authorities have already disbursed the share of incentives among Nodal officers, the Head of the Departments, Doctors, paramedical staff, and anaesthetists, while PMAMs, who are the backbone of the scheme, have been completely ignored.
As per the reply to an RTI application from the Medical Superintendent, SMHS, which is lying with Excelsior, it has been stated that all the concerned have been given their due incentive share, while the reply does not state anything regarding the PMAMs stationed there.
There are a few more RTI replies from different GMC Associated Hospitals where the same violation of the guidelines is in vogue and the PMAMs are not getting their due incentive share despite being laid down clearly by the concerned department, except for Govt Psychiatric Diseases Hospital and GMC, Baramulla.
Another RTI reply from the State Health Agency (SHA) on the same matter has also clarified that the PMAMs are to be paid an incentive share of 4% apart from their salaries, however, the administration has been withholding the same while releasing it in favor of the rest of the stakeholders.
Pertinent to mention here, a notification issued by the H&ME in 2019, laying down the guidelines for the implementation of the scheme in the public hospitals of J&K, noted a 4% incentive share to be given to the PMAMs. However, the same is not being adhered to in the majority of GMC Associated Hospitals situated in Srinagar.
The PMAMs told Excelsior that they have not been given their due incentives even though there is a clear provision in the scheme that directs for incentivizing the PMAMs along with other stakeholders.
“The authorities have been paying the incentive share to others, only leaving out the PMAMs which means they are partially following the guidelines while ignoring them when it comes to the PMAMs’’, an aggrieved PMAM working in one of the Srinagar hospitals said.
Principal, GMC Associated Hospitals, Dr. Samia Rashid said that she was not aware of the issue and that she will get the matter checked while the Medical Superintendent of the SMHS hospital said that the matter will be discussed next week.
However, on the other side, one of the officials at the SHA—which is the implementing agency of Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Yojana, told Excelsior that the matter will be looked into after the PMAMs who are facing the issue submit a representation to the CEO of SHA highlighting the matter.
Notably, the PMAMs run the Transaction Management system which has a multidimensional array of tasks ranging from registrations of the IPD patients, preauthorization, query reply, discharging patients from the portal, and claim settlement. They also run the Beneficiary Identification System (BIS) which is meant for making Golden cards for people in general and patients admitted to hospitals in particular.
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