Do not dilute Aarogyasri: YSRCP

Hyderabad, April 4 : YSR Congress has urged the State Government and the private hospital managements not to lock horns and dilute the Aarogyasri scheme which has been the lifeline to the weaker sections.

“The welfare scheme introduced by YSR has been a boon to the poorer sections and both the government and the private hospitals should come to some understanding and should not shelve it at any cost,” party spokesperson Ambati Rambabu told reporters here on Thursday.

Any attempt to do away with Aarogyasri or to dilute the terms will not be tolerated as the scheme has gone well with the weaker sections, he said. The contradictory statements from the representatives of private hospitals and the government have been sending wrong signals to the people and we demand that proper steps should be taken to safeguard the flagship welfare scheme of YSR, he said.

“We warn the hospital managements and the government as well not to be defiant but arrive at some amicable solution and sort things out,” he said. Nearly 3.73 crore people have benefitted out of the Aarogyasri and most of them returned to normal and they are hail and healthy due to this scheme.

The Chief Minister announcing that the scope of this scheme will be increased and the private hospitals threatening to withdraw support to the scheme if there is no increase in tariff, it seems to be a situation of attrition which is not advisable.

Even the minister speaking in a defiant voice only flares up the issue instead of solving it in a mutually beneficial manner, he said. The scheme that has benefitted a large section of the state population should not be end up in uncertainty due to the squabbles between the private hospitals and government, he said.

Turning down as rumours the talk that there is dissent among the party circles, he said some of the leaders could not attend the Current dharna of YS Vijayamma as they were busy in their respective constituencies undertaking the agitation programme.

We have chalked out a programme and are following it. We will be holding a praja ballot from April 5 and also participated in the April 9 bandh call, he said.

When asked about the differences in the party at the local levels, he said, we have appointed party coordinators at 294 places and if something goes wrong at one or two places it need not be the same everywhere, he said. INN