APSRTC employees seek return of cashless referral-hospital system

The APSRTC Employees’ Union has urged authorities to restore the earlier referral-hospital system that provided employees with cashless medical treatment. Union State president P. Damodara Rao raised the request at a meeting of Employees Health Scheme Joint Committee members held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of the scheme’s chief executive officer.

The union said the current Employees Health Scheme was not delivering the expected benefits to APSRTC staff. According to its representatives, employees and family members had experienced difficulties obtaining cashless treatment at hospitals. Union leaders asked APSRTC officials to issue clear instructions to empanelled hospitals.

They said employees seeking emergency care should not face rejection of EHS cards or denial of cashless treatment. The referral-hospital arrangement had been in place before APSRTC was merged with the government. The union said that system had been useful and should be restored, although the supplied material does not describe how the former arrangement operated or why it was replaced.

The employees’ representatives also sought the immediate settlement of medical reimbursement bills that have remained pending under the EHS for a long time. They asked for special measures to prevent delays in approving claims submitted by retired employees. The source does not include a response from APSRTC officials or the EHS administration.

It also does not state how many employees have been affected, how many claims are pending or whether any decision was taken at the committee meeting. The union’s demands centre on restoring direct access to cashless treatment and improving the processing of existing medical claims.