JOIN US'Janaushadhi,' free generic medicine to poor from Jan
Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader has said that the government would implement ‘Janaushadhi’ scheme in every taluk centres in State to provide generic medicines free of cost, from January.
Speaking at the ‘Indiana Gramina Arogya Card’ launch programme at Indiana Hospital premises here, on Sunday, he said that the government wants to make health care affordable to poor. “The government has started distributing iron folic acid tablets freely in every school. Along with this, elders should also check their blood sugar level and blood pressure in Primary Health Centres, at least once in a year. It can help in avoiding environment, lifestyle and food related diseases,” he said.
Khader said that government hospitals, even in taluk-level don’t have enough facilities and equipment to treat all diseases. As people depend on private hospitals, the government has signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with various private hospitals to provide free treatment to BPL card holders.
For APL card holders
The Minister said that the government will introduce Universal Health Care scheme to provide health treatment to APL card holders at affordable cost in private hospitals, in future. Under the scheme, the beneficiaries have to pay just 10 per cent of the total cost.
On making health insurance schemes useful, he said that “to cover every family under health insurance, we have started to collect complete data of families in two districts in State, in first phase. There are some legal hurdles to get insurance amount in case of accidents, but the government would clear these problems soon,” he said. Khader also assured of implementing ‘Aarogya Sanjeevini Scheme’ for the government employees.
The minister suggested the private doctors to serve in government hospitals at least for one day in a week. The medical students should know the life of common man, they should be service oriented and public representatives also take doctors into confidence, he said. Minister for Youth Service, Sports and Fisheries K Abhaychandra Jain said that competition by private hospitals would help in developing government hospitals.
Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Indiana Hospital Chairman Prof Dr Ali Kumble, Mangalore South MLA J R Lobo, Fathima Retreat House Rector Rev Fr Dr Ravi Santhosh Kamath, Mangalore City Corporation Corporator Praveen Chandra Alva, Kasargod Aramana Hospital MD Dr Zakariya and others were present.
Indiana Arogya card
Indiana Hospital Managing Director Dr Yusuf Kumble said that the health card is for financially under privileged people to get quality treatment in Indiana Hospital. This card will be distributed to the people of eight districts including five districts of Karnataka and three districts of Kerala. Around 10,000 families have been selected and six cards will be given for each family, which means 60,000 people would get this benefit. The selection of the beneficiary will be done by panchayat members of respective region, he said.