Maharashtra: Health treatment at govt hospitals in state to be free of cost

The Maharashtra government on Thursday decided to make medical tests and treatment at public hospitals free of cost reported news agency PTIThe decision was taken in the state cabinet meeting which gave its nod to the Right To HealthFree of cost facilities will be available at 2418 hospitals and medical centres run by the state government under the scheme that is likely to be launched from August 15 More than 255 million people avail treatment in these facilities officials told PTIHowever the decision will not be applicable to hospitals and medical colleges that come under the Medical Education departmentPrimary health centres rural hospitals women hospitals district general hospitals and super speciality hospitals will treat patients free of cost in the state an official told PTICancer hospitals in Nashik and Amravati will also offer the treatment free of cost the official addedMeanwhile Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday told the legislative assembly that the state government will send to the Centre an environmental costbenefit analysis report on redeveloping 25000 slums along Mumbais coastline in the next two monthsHe made the announcement while replying to a calling attention notice by BJP MLA Ashish ShelarAn environmental costbenefit analysis report is being prepared through the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority SRA regarding the redevelopment of these slums that fall under the Coastal Regulation Zone CRZ2 Shinde saidThis analysis report is crucial for the redevelopment of these slums It will be ready and sent to the central government in the next two months he addedShelar said the chief ministers assurance meant the fate of nearly 25000 slums housing nearly 125 lakh people in Mumbai will be decided in the next two monthsAccording to the CRZ notification dated January 6 2011 issued by the Union Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change conditions were placed on the redevelopment of these slumsAs per this notification if these slums are to be redeveloped 51 per cent cost share will be with the state governmentThe Union environment department later changed this notification on January 18 2019 but since there was still no clarity on the redevelopment of protected huts in this notification the state government sent a letter to the CentreThe central government directed it to submit a proposal in this regardIn the meanwhile the new development plan for Mumbai was prepared in which reservations for parks and playgrounds were made in the coastal areas thereby turning them into nodevelopment zones As a result the path of redevelopment of these slums became all the more difficultAround the same time the Union ministry of environment and climate change held a meeting on this issue in New Delhi in which the Centre directed the state government to submit a report on the impact on environment if redevelopment of these slums was permittedSpeaking to reporters outside the assembly complex Shelar said the state government directed the two concerned authorities the BMC and the SRA to prepare an environmental costbenefit analysis reportThrough his calling attention notice in the House Shelar brought to the notice of the assembly how enormous the redevelopment task will beTalking about it he said On the one hand we are trying to make Mumbai slumfree while on the other there are still pockets in Mumbai like Worli Bandra Khar Juhu Versova and Dharavi where nearly 125 lakh people residing in 25000odd slums are waiting for years for a favourable decision from the governmentBy when will the BMC and the SRA submit this environment costbenefit analysis report to the Centre Shelar asked in the HouseResponding to it Shinde assured that the report will be prepared and submitted to the central government within the next two monthsWith inputs from PTI