Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 14 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday accused the previous BJP-led government of corruption in the 'Him-Care' scheme, saying that funds were misused through fraudulent billing.

He also said that the state government is restructuring the scheme to improve its effectiveness and ensure transparency.

'BJP has lost its ability to bear the truth. A lot of corruption has taken place in Him-Care. I came to know that in private hospitals, out of Rs 350 crore, some funds are still pending, while Rs 190 crore has already been disbursed. In government hospitals, out of Rs 530 crore, Rs 350 crore has been paid. The state government funded this scheme, and we found fraudulent billing where payments were made despite the absence of facilities. Now, we have limited private hospital coverage to dialysis only,' CM Sukhu said.

The Chief Minister emphasized that schemes should directly benefit people without intermediaries.

'Him-Care is a good scheme, but it was not implemented effectively. The health sector has deteriorated. Our government has completed two years, and many medical facilities are unavailable in government hospitals. We are investigating the reasons behind this and are reworking the Him-Care scheme. The opposition should stand with us as we work on the state's healthcare system,' he added.

The BJP government, under then-Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, launched the Him-Care Scheme in 2019 to provide health insurance coverage to families excluded from the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

Jai Ram Thakur had said the state government spent about Rs 100 crore on various schemes to ensure treatment for the poor and provide better health facilities to the people. (ANI)