With the health department’s proposal to extend Vajpayee Arogyasri Scheme to Above the Poverty Line (APL) families, receiving Cabinet approval, a larger section of the society will enjoy free health benefits soon.
Addressing a press conference in the city on Saturday, Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader said that the health programme which is now limited to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, will be extended to APL families under the name Rajiv Arogya Bhagya Scheme. The scheme is a step towards implementing universal health coverage. Under the scheme, APL ration card-holders can avail treatments for eight tertiary health ailments including cancer, heart, kidney, neuro in the empanelled private hospitals in particular area. The patient has to bear 10 per cent of the total treatment cost, while the remaining amount will be borne by the government. With it, a larger section of the population can avail the health benefits, who many a times find it unaffordable to get quality treatments in super speciality hospitals, he said.
For availing the medical benefit, the patient should produce APL ration card to Arogya Mitra appointed in the hospital and the patient should bear the expenses for additional facilities that they seek in the hospital. “The department has signed MoU with empanelled hospitals, and will fix the rate for every treatment, so that the hospitals can not charge exorbitantly. The government will transfer the treatment amount to hospitals concerned through Suvarna Arogya Chethana Trust. A total of 158 private hospitals will be brought under the scheme, of which nine hospitals will be from Mangalore,” Khader said.
He also said that the department has plans to introduce health schemes for migrant workers from other states.
Meanwhile, he said that ‘Ayush Pushti’ biscuits for anganawadi children was launched on pilot basis by Ayush Department on Friday at Bagalkot taluk and Jamakhandi. As many as 3,000 children will be covered initially. The doctors and anganawadi supervisors will monitor the physical and overall changes that are likely to occur in children due to the consumption of these ayurvedic biscuits, during next three months.