Hyderabad, July 17: The Telangana government on Friday launched the New Employees Health Scheme (NEHS), a comprehensive cashless healthcare initiative aimed at providing quality medical services to government employees, pensioners and their dependent family members.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, along with Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, formally launched the scheme at the State Secretariat by unveiling the NEHS portal and distributing health cards to beneficiaries.
The scheme is expected to benefit nearly 8 lakh government employees and pensioners, along with 29.80 lakh dependent family members, taking the total number of beneficiaries to approximately 37.8 lakh.
Under the new scheme, beneficiaries can avail cashless in-patient treatment at 886 empanelled private hospitals across Telangana. The scheme covers 1,816 medical procedures and surgeries, with package rates aligned to the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).
Transparent Health Trust
To ensure transparent implementation, the government has constituted a dedicated Health Trust comprising equal representation from government officials and employee union representatives.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said the Congress government’s objective was to provide employees and pensioners with a strong health security system that guarantees accessible, affordable and quality healthcare.
He noted that many employees had been forced into debt due to rising medical expenses and said the government introduced the scheme to eliminate this financial burden by ensuring comprehensive cashless treatment.
“The New Employees Health Scheme reflects the government’s commitment to the welfare of its employees and recognises them as members of the government family,” he said.
Cabinet Panel Framed the Policy
Bhatti Vikramarka said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee to address employees’ welfare issues. The panel, chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister, included Ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, and Seethakka.
Following extensive consultations with employee representatives, the committee formulated the policy that led to the launch of the NEHS.
Criticism of Previous Government
The Deputy Chief Minister criticised the previous BRS government, alleging that it had neglected government employees by leaving pending bills worth Rs 10,000 crore.
He said the present government has adopted a humanitarian approach and is releasing around Rs 2,000 crore every month to clear the outstanding dues.
“I personally review the payment process every 15 days to ensure that no pending bills remain,” he said.
Focus on Health and Education
Bhatti Vikramarka reiterated that the Revanth Reddy government has accorded top priority to the health and education sectors.
He pointed out that the government had already enhanced the Rajiv Arogyasri health insurance coverage from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, extending free corporate-level medical treatment to 1.06 crore eligible families across the state.
The Deputy Chief Minister urged government employees to work with greater commitment and serve as a bridge between the government and the people by effectively implementing welfare schemes, including free fine-quality rice for the poor, free bus travel for women, free electricity for farmers and 200 units of free power for eligible households.
Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Health Principal Secretary Dr Christina Z. Chongthu, Education Secretary Yogita Rana, and leaders of various employee unions attended the launch programme.
