**Bhubaneswar: ** Despite being a welfare State and the State Government’s claim of hassle-free public service delivery guaranteed now, it all goes for a toss as even an incumbent minister has to exert his all out efforts to get his outstanding medical claim reimbursed, let alone the fate of a common man.
It is evident from the reminders and the ultimatum served to the Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) by a Deputy Secretary to the Government of Odisha to furnish the copies of all the reference documents relating to RCM claims to the minister immediately.
As per the ulitimatum served to the DMET on November 30, the DMET has been asked to “furnish the copies of all the reference documents relating to RCM claims in favour of Sri Ashok Kumar Panda, Hon’ble Minister immediately by 7.12.2017 for appropriate action at this end.”
Health Department Deputy Secretary Manashi Mandhata, referring to the Department’s previous letter No. 13057, dated 18.11.2016 and subsequent reminder, has mentioned in the latest letter to the DMET, “No response has been received from your end since then for which the matter has been inordinately delayed.”
She has further stated, “The PA Department is pressing hard for settlement of the abovesaid RCM claim case in their letter No. 5862, dated 18.11.2017.”
As per reports, Odisha Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Kumar Panda had met with an accident last year on his way to grace a function near the RTO office here. As per norms, he had claimed for his medical expenses with the DMET. All his repeated reminders allegedly turned futile as DMET lent a deaf ear.
Even though being a Minister, he had to ironically knock the doors of the Parliamentary Affairs (PA) Department with his due written grievance on November 18 this year following which the Health Department Deputy Secretary has to dash the ultimatum to the DMET.
Such a development has raised eyebrows of the intelligentsia here and puts a million dollar question on the State Administration’s tall claims of being people’s government when its minister is left in the lurch and falls prey to the die-hard red-tapism and lackadaisical attitude of government machinery.