More than poor health, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) employees worry about how and if they will get reimbursed for what they spend on hospitalisation.
But all this is set to change with the BMTC planning to have its own hospital along with the support from the State Health Department.
The government has agreed in principle to set up a multi-speciality hospital for BMTC employees and their families. The transport corporation had earmarked 3,476 sq.ft space at its Yeshwantpur bus station for the project.
“Being a driver or conductor is a high-stress job. Most employees have BP and diabetes problems, leading to heart ailments. Under the current system, BMTC employees can get treated in any of the around 20 empanelled hospitals, and are eligible for reimbursement on submission of bills. But, only 25% of the amount is given back and it takes close to seven to eight months to get the approvals. This puts immense strain on the employees,” said H.V. Ananth Subbarao, general secretary, KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation, and added that an exclusive hospital was a welcome development and would benefit 36,000 employees and their families.
Stating that the go-ahead for the proposal was given early this year by the corporation board, BMTC chairman M. Nagaraju said, “We recently handed over the space to the government to set up the facility, which will provide free treatment to all employees. Also, primary health clinics, for both employees and commuters, have been set up at Majestic and Yeshwantpur Traffic and Transit Management Centre, and they will be operational soon.”