A comprehensive demand for Healthcare of SAIL Retirees.

 By e-mail: chairman.sail@sail.in

Copy to Chairman-designate: amarendu@sail.in

FORSE/SAIL-C/1123

23/04/2023

To

Ms Soma Mondal,

Chairperson,

Steel Authority of India Ltd,

Ispat Bhavan, Lodhi Road, 

New Delhi – 110 003.

Sub: A comprehensive demand for Healthcare of SAIL Retirees.

Madam,

We would like to draw your kind attention to the discussion held in the XIII FORSE Apex Council meeting held at Bhadravati on March 28-29, 2023 regarding Healthcare issues of the Retired Employees as well as demand made by the Council. All the members present expressed resentment over inadequate healthcare for the retirees. While thanking SAIL management for increasing the IPD limit made effective from July 2022, there is more needed to bring improvements in the present system. Members also expressed the serious economic malady and social disparity in the whole system in respect of prevailing healthcare of the retirees who had spent all their lives in the Company and helped the Company to grow and to come to this shape.

In fact, a reference was made to the Directive Principles of the State Policy as enshrined in the Constitution (Articles 36 – 51), Article 38 which specifically envisages that the State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may, a social order.  The concept of ‘social justice’ enables quality of life to flavor and enliven the practical content of life.  With the Amendment in Article 44, the State shall in particular strive to minimize inequalities in the total social system which encompasses the healthcare system which is more Cardinal point in safeguard of one’s life. However, in this canvass also, there is glaring disparity and discrimination while protecting and maintaining proper health and life of the retirees. 

The injustice being done with SAIL Retirees, on this count, becomes more glaring when the available healthcare facilities in SAIL, a Maharatna PSU is compared vis-à-vis other few schedule-‘A’ PSUs like ONGC, IOC, BHEL, NTPC, BPCL etc. (Comparative chart is in Annexure –‘A’). Our Healthcare for retirees is inferior even to that of our sister concern RINL. As can be seen there were wide aberrations and disparity in the matter of healthcare management inter-se Schedule-‘A’ PSUs for the reasons not known.  Historically, it prima-facie appears that there has been complete apathy and neglect towards the life and healthcare of SAIL retirees though being a Maharatna Company and known to be an enlightened and professionally managed Company.

The criteria of profit / profitability / affordability etc. which are shown as normal impediments, are it seems no more valid in view of SAIL reaching at pinnacles of glory and fortunes.  It is only the misfortune of disparaged class of SAIL retirees suffering from abject neglect and apathy by keeping the permissible limits of OPD/ IPD fixed at very low level when the cost of living has gone sky rocketing for last dozen of years, though during last two years, some remedial actions have been taken but not much.  It is not much of profit and loss concept as taking into account the premium being paid by the Company, if an additional amount of Rs. 120 – Rs. 130 crore is spent, it is felt and reasonably estimated that SAIL can provide free treatment to all retirees at par with their serving employees – keeping the present free treatment in plant hospitals open as hitherto. In that case., the hassles of providing Mediclaim Scheme / Insurance coverage will altogether be eliminated. 

Members strongly felt that most of the maladies of ‘Healthcare for Retirees’ are born of keeping the FORSE representatives away from the policy making in spite of our several requests at regular intervals. There is an imperative need for direct involvement of FORSE representatives in formulation of comprehensive healthcare policy as they are more apprised about the intricacies of the operative paras and also, they are the beneficiaries paying part of the premium.

It was also felt that there has to be uniform application of the policy and accrued benefits therefrom and to make it at par with serving employees as envisaged in SAIL NJCS AGREEMENT, 1978.

The following issues also need to be settled to provide more widespread benefits. 

1)   Better OPD facilities with ensured supply of all medicines to all the Retirees at par with Corporate Office and CMO.

2)   All pathological / diagnostic tests recommended by SAIL doctors / Medical Units may be undertaken in SAIL hospitals / SAIL nominated hospitals free at par with serving employees.

3)   For all terminal diseases, e.g. cancer, organ transplant, major heart surgery, CKD, liver transplant etc., SAIL should come forward with free treatment

4)   Free periodic medical check-up for self and spouse

5)   To start 24-hour working help desk

6)   Doctors’ prescription should be kept valid for one year for medicines

7)   Members also stressed for reduction in Top Up / Super Top Up premium rates which are very high. 

8)   There has to be clarity in “exclusion list” and it should be comprehensive. 

 9)   Similarly, there has to be clarity in “the list of Day Care Treatments list” and it should be comprehensive. 

10)       That treatment as well as the charges for the retirees at Rourkela Super Specialty Hospital to be made at par with serving employees.

11)       It was also demanded that comprehensive dental treatment and Ayurvedic treatment should be covered under the scheme.

12)       Capping should be stopped in empaneled hospitals. It was observed that in case of capping, some hospitals are demanding additional amount as Doctors Charges / medicines and also sometime as special equipment / gadget charges.  This practice should be stopped forthwith or should be given full medical coverage.  

13)       It was stressed by the representatives from Metro cities that treatment by RMP (minimum MBBS) should be allowed at par with serving employees as consultation charges at nominated OPD centres / hospitals are very high and there is also logistic / movement problem in cities.  For the diseases of less serious nature, one can always go to a local doctor in the vicinity and avail the consultation at lower cost.

14)       Our long pending demand of increasing OPD limit to Rs. 20,000/- each for self and spouse with clubbing facility should be met from this year.

15)       ICCU / ICU / ITU / Ventilator charges are to be paid on actual basis. But the diagnostic / pathological charges while the patient is in such critical beds, should not be raised high and are to be paid at normal rate as in entitled beds.

16)       There is need to increase the entitlement limit of room rent further from 1%, 1.25%, 1.5% to 1.5%, 2% and 3% of individual sum insured value, depending upon the category of the respective city, as such charges in specialty hospitals have enormously increased or actual of entitled / available rooms is to be allowed.

17)                             In cases, where the patient is hospitalised before expiry of the policy period, but continues treatment after expiry of the policy, provision may be made to reimburse total expenses incurred from the new policy if the balance in the expired policy is not adequate to meet the total bill.

Madam, in view of ever-increasing cost of living and Healthcare and ever-decreasing return on investment by Retirees we request you to kindly take a liberal view towards the above demands and accept and implement them from this year. We also propose for a SAIL-FORSE meeting at an early date to discuss these and other issues.

We hope to hear favorably from you soon.

With regards,

Yours faithfully,

For & on behalf of Federation of Retired SAIL Employees

(V. N. Sharma)  Chairman

(Ram Agar Singh(  Gen Secretary

 

ANNEXURE-‘A’

 

Name of PSU	Hospitalisation / IPD Treatment	Domiciliary / OPD treatment
SAIL	Mediclaim Insurance Coverage – around 20% contribution by member – Rs. 4 Lakhs – Self Rs. 4 Lakhs – Spouse with clubbing facility	Rs. 4000/- Upto 70 Yrs of age Rs. 8000/- Above 70 Yrs of age Free treatment in SAIL Plant hospitals
NTPC	Admitted in identified hospitals on the basis of member medical card with prior / post approval – payment by the company	Upto Rs. 18,000/- reimbursement per quarter on feeding on line – But on production of medical advice/vouchers, limit per year – Rs.1.10 Lakh instead of Rs. 72,000/- per year
IOC	Admitted in identified hospitals on production of medical card with prior / post approval. Payment by the Company up to some limit for treatment of normal ailment.  No limit for identified critical diseases. Same modalities for dependents declared at the time of separation.	Up to Rs. 18,000/- reimbursement varying from grade to grade once in six months.
ONGC	Full medical facilities for all retirees including spouse / dependent parents.   Also monetary relief paid to retirees depending on age / specific disease.   Under Asha Kiran Scheme, substantial financial relief is provided additionally in a year depending on grades for medical treatment	Reimbursement of Doctors’ fees even treated at private chamber up to ceiling of Rs. 350/- per visit Fees of Specialists not stated. Full diagnostics tests and medicines including hospital / other OPD treatments
BPCL	Full medical facilities / free hospital treatments to self / spouse and declared dependents without any income and not medically covered elsewhere	Full reimbursement on OPD treatment
BHEL	Free treatment in all BHEL hospitals with medical card. In other hospitals as identified and referred by BHEL hospitals, all hospitalized treatment free.	Rs. 18,000/- in one year for OPD treatment – otherwise free treatment in BHEL hospitals besides Rs. 2000/- per year towards purchase of emergency medicines in emergency conditions on self-certification

Note: Besides, there are provisions also for giving financial aid under Felicitation Schemes in some PSUs to help the retirees at old age ONGC circular was sent by us to all concerned on 13^th April 2023.