BRS Backs Staff Protest Over Telangana Employees Health Scheme Rollout

Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader and former Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers president G Devi Prasad extended full support to government employees protesting over the implementation of the Employees Health Scheme in Hyderabad, raising concerns over the lack of cashless medical services.

In a statement, Devi Prasad urged the State government to immediately hold talks with Joint Action Committee representatives to address the issues raised by staff and pensioners across the state.

Devi Prasad questioned the government's claim that the revamped health scheme became operational on August 17, pointing out that employees have reportedly been unable to access cashless medical treatment at hospitals. He demanded that the government make public the full details of the 4,440 beneficiaries it claimed had accessed treatment under the revamped scheme, including their names, hospitals, treatments, and associated expenditure.

He also raised concerns regarding salary deductions, questioning why monthly contributions had been collected from employees since May if the scheme was only rolled out on August 17. He sought immediate reimbursement of eligible medical expenses incurred by employees, pensioners, and their dependents starting from May 1, 2026.

Additionally, the BRS leader demanded that cashless inpatient and outpatient services be extended across all empanelled government and private hospitals. He called for the immediate issuance of digital health cards and urged authorities to equip wellness centres with adequate medical staff, diagnostic infrastructure, and essential medicines.

Devi Prasad also sought comprehensive cashless health check-ups every six months for pensioners to cover basic screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and kidney, liver, and heart ailments, while demanding an official explanation for the time gap between premium collection and full implementation.