Special wards for health cover

VELLORE: The State Government plans to introduce a tag with the number ‘500’ for special Wards in government hospitals in all the district headquarters to handle cases under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Medical Insurance Scheme, according to the Health Minister Dr V S Vijay. He said this while talking to the press with regard to a review meeting that he had chaired on Saturday at the collectorate.“Just as people recognise the ambulance service with the tag 108, the new Ward will be recognised with the number 500 while availing treatment under the new insurance scheme,” the Minister said. According to him, special wards will be established in all the 17 government medical college hospitals and 32 district government hospitals in the state. These wards would be maintained by the insurance company.In Vellore, a 60-bed Ward 500 will be established at the Government Medical College Hospital. The minister will personally visit the hospital and help in establishing the ward. In Chennai, the Ward 500 has been established in three government hospitals and 216 beds have been allotted for the wards.When a reporter raised a question about a sum of `5,000 that was being allegedly collected from government doctors towards the state conference of the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association to be held at Vellore on Sunday, the visibly agitated Vijay responded that he had no knowledge about such a collection and that he had no connection with the association and its activities. He added that they were probably collecting the money towards the Thane relief fund.