Sri Vijaya Puram, October 22: A proposed scheme to provide free or reimbursable helicopter and ship travel for patients referred from remote islands to GB Pant Hospital remains unfinalised, prompting Andaman and Nicobar Islands MP Bishnu Pada Ray to seek the Lieutenant Governor’s intervention. The MP has raised concerns over the financial burden on patients who must travel to Sri Vijaya Puram for medical treatment unavailable in their home islands.
In a letter to Lieutenant Governor Dinesh Sharma, Ray requested directions to the concerned authorities to expedite the approval and implementation of the proposed transportation assistance scheme.
The proposal seeks to cover travel expenses incurred by patients referred to GB Pant Hospital from primary health centres (PHCs), community health centres (CHCs) and district hospitals across the islands.
Ray said patients from remote areas often have to undertake helicopter or ship journeys to access treatment that local health institutions cannot provide. According to the MP, the cost of these journeys places an additional financial burden on economically disadvantaged families already dealing with medical emergencies.
The latest representation follows an earlier letter dated May 19, 2025, in which Ray had proposed a suitable mechanism to provide financial assistance for such medical referrals.
He said the Administration had not finalised the scheme despite the passage of more than 11 months since his initial representation.
According to the MP, the only response he received, dated July 2, 2026, indicated that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the proposed arrangement was under consideration for approval by the competent authority.
The response did not establish a date for implementation, leaving the proposed assistance mechanism pending.
Ray has now sought early finalisation of the scheme along the lines of transportation assistance available to eligible patients under the PM Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
He argued that patients requiring specialised medical care should not have to bear substantial transportation costs simply because adequate treatment facilities are unavailable on their islands.
The MP also highlighted the difficulties faced by families accompanying patients during medical emergencies, particularly those with limited financial resources.
His representation calls for administrative action to establish a mechanism through which eligible inter-island patients can receive free travel or reimbursement of transportation expenses.
Ray maintained that access to necessary medical treatment should not depend on a patient’s ability to afford travel from remote islands and urged the Administration to address the pending proposal in the interest of island residents.
