DDSSY: implementing agency wants govt to hike premium

PANAJI: The United India Insurance Company Ltd, the implementing agency for the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY), the state government’s health insurance scheme, has come up with a condition for the further extension of the contract and has written to the state government to hike the premium.

“We are ready to extend the contract provided the government accepts our terms and conditions. We have communicated to the government to hike the premium, as the claim ratio has increased after the scheme was extended  on three occasions on the completion of one-year period in September 2017,” said an official of the company.

The official said that the company’s general manager held a meeting with government officials on April 23 wherein a detailed discussion was held. However, since then the government has failed to respond to their demands.

Sources in the government said that the United India Insurance Company Ltd is demanding a hike of 25 per cent on the premium which was paid to them and the government is of the opinion that if the company incurs loss, then it can be reimbursed. However, the decision is yet to be taken by the government in this regard.

The contract pertaining to the DDSSY with the United India Insurance Company Ltd has lapsed on April 30 and the decision on the newly revised DDSSY contract has been kept in abeyance, as the four public-sector undertaking (PSU) companies, which participated in financial bidding for the new contract quoted an amount which is on a higher side and not acceptable to the government.

Meanwhile, the government is trying to further extend the contract till August 2018.