KTR pledges financial aid for constable battling brain stroke

BRS working president KT Rama Rao has offered to bear the medical expenses of police constable Devasoth Shankar, who suffered a brain stroke while on duty and is undergoing treatment in an ICU. The incident has reignited concerns over the implementation of the Employee Health Scheme.

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao has offered to personally bear the medical expenses of police constable Devasoth Shankar, who is undergoing treatment in the ICU after suffering a brain stroke while on duty. Shankar, who joined the police as a home guard in 2013 and became a constable in 2024, is presently serving at Medak Town police station.

BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar, who met Shankar’s family at KIMS, Secunderabad, said the constable’s family was struggling to meet the treatment expenses despite exhausting their resources. He said Shankar was initially taken to Wellness Hospital and later shifted to NIMS, where the family was reportedly told that no bed was available.

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At Yashoda Hospitals, the family was allegedly informed that the Employee Health Scheme (EHS) was not applicable. Shankar was subsequently admitted to KIMS after his friends and relatives raised Rs 1.5 lakh for his surgery. With the hospital seeking another Rs 2 lakh, his colleagues were reportedly pooling money for his treatment.

Praveen Kumar demanded immediate implementation of EHS for Shankar and urged the DGP to support policemen during medical emergencies.

Responding to his post, Rama Rao said, “Let me take care of Shankar’s medical expenses personally. Please let the family know we are with them till he is back to normal.” He said the case should at least “open the eyes” of the government to the plight of ordinary policemen.

The revamped Employee Health Scheme (EHS) is facing objections from the Telangana Network Hospitals Association (TANHA), a network of more than 350 private hospitals. The TANHA has asked the State government to revise treatment rates, include hospitals in policymaking and clear up to Rs 2,500 crore in pending bills. As a result, government employees are not receiving medical care in the majority of hospitals despite the Congress government deducting employees’ contributions from their salaries.