Bangalore: Govt extends health coverage benefits to APL families

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Nov 14: Even the above poverty line (APL) families, who do not enjoy any health benefits from different government schemes, will now be extended the health coverage benefit under the Rajiv Arogyasri scheme being implemented by the State Government.

Under the proposed scheme, APL families can avail benefits of free treatment of serious diseases in specialised hospitals.

As many as 1.1 crore APL people are expected to benefit under the scheme and the scheme would cost the State exchequer Rs 120 crore a year.

This decision was taken by the Sate Cabinet at its meeting held under the chairmanship of chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday.

Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare minister U T Khader, who spoke to reporters in Bangalore on Thursday, said: “Karnataka is the only state to ensure universal health coverage for its entire population.”

Families are covered under the Eemployees State Insurance Scheme (ESI) Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), Yeshasvini, Vajpayee Arogyasri Scheme and other health insurance scheme would not be covered under the Rajiv Arogyasri scheme, Khader explained.

With the implementation of the Rajiv Arogyasri scheme for APL families, entire population of the State would be covered under one or the other heath care schemes, he said.

Of the six crore people in the State, four crore were covered under BPL schemes and among the remaining two crore people, one crore is the creamy layer having private or government health coverage schemes.

About one crore people are belonging to the middle class whose income is immediately above that of BPL and which requires medical cover for the illnesses and these people are covered by the scheme, he said.

A total of 150 hit-tech hospitals have been empanelled in the State, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The State Government would reimburse the treatment cost to hospitals.

Arogya Mitra counters would be opened in all the empanelled hospital to enable the patients to take benefit of the scheme.

The people will be eligible for treatment cost up to Rs 1.50 lakh and up to Rs 2 lakh in some special cases.

However, he said the APL families must have APL ration cards and should be willing to pay 10 per cent of the total treatment cost to avail the benefits under the scheme.

The scheme would be available to patients with seven health problems including cardiac treatment, cancer, renal, burns, neonatal and neurological problems.

Under the scheme, people are eligible to obtain free admission, food, medicine, investigation, treatment and other expenses in the hospital, Khader added.