KSRTC rolls out cashless health scheme for staff

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday launched the KSRTC Arogya scheme, which provides free medical treatment in government and private hospitals to employees of the bus corporation. 

The scheme will benefit around 1.5 lakh people - 34,000 employees and their dependents. It will be expanded to the BMTC, the NWKRTC and the KKRTC within three months, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said. 

The scheme covers over 275 hospitals and four diagnostics centres across Karnataka. Employees will pay only for consumables. The KSRTC will reimburse hospitals within 30 days, according to a statement. 

For inpatient/outpatient care in other hospitals, the KSRTC will reimburse employees. 

There will be no limit for inpatient treatment expenses under this scheme, which will also cover eye, dental, Ayurvedic, Prakriti, Unani and Homoeopathic treatments. 

The KSRTC will deduct Rs 650 per month from the employees’ salaries and increase it by Rs 50 annually. The scheme will also cover training employees but there will be no deductions from their salary. 

The corporation will set aside Rs 20 crore for the scheme every year and will increase it by 5 per cent annually. All employees will be issued separate health cards for this scheme. Before this scheme, KSRTC employees had to get treatment for themselves, spouses, and dependent parents and children at recognised hospitals, pay for it and claim reimbursements later.