1 August,2010
                                

The BPL families in the State have now all the reasons to smile. The State Government has given them health insurance cover by implementing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) which envisages to cover all the BPL families in the State. More than 80% families had been covered by 30th May, 2010 under the scheme.  The scheme envisages to provide financial assistance of Rs 30,000 for undertaking treatment in recognized health institutions in the state including Ayurvedic health institutions. For this they don’t have to give any premium as this is being met by the State Government.   For achieving this feat, the State has recently won the National Award for 'Best Enrolment Rate State'.  Initially launched in two districts of Kangra and Shimla, this scheme has now been started in 10 other districts from 1st March, 2010.

The State Government has gone one step further by providing health insurance cover upto Rs 1.75 lakh in case of critical illness for meeting the expenses of hospitalisation and surgical procedures of beneficiary members for treatment of diseases like cardiac and cardio-thoracic surgeries, genito urinary surgery, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, trauma, transplant surgeries, spinal surgeries and surgical Gastro Enterlogy.  

The State has also been awarded by the Central Government for successful launching of 1st phase of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana in Shimla and Kangra districts for issuing of Smart Cards within the allotted time frame. Under the 1st Phase of the scheme, 80,242 smart cards (54511 in Kangra and 25731 in Shimla) to BPL families were issued. In both the districts more than 80 percent of BPL families have been covered which was the highest percentage in the country.  So far, 3107 patients have availed the benefit of Scheme by undertaking treatment.

Keeping in view, the role of Gram Panchayats in successful implementation of the programme, the State Government would provide cash award of Rs. 50,000 to one Gram Panchayat in each district for preparation of cent percent Smart Cards, 2nd prize of Rs. 25,000 and 3rd prize of Rs. 10,000 as motivation incentive to Gram Panchayats.

Under the 2nd phase, maternity and newborn child has also been covered. The maximum benefit allowable under this maternity will be upto Rs. 4,500. This benefit shall be a part of basic sum insured of Rs. 30,000. Per family premium for critical care package will be borne by the State Government. 127 Public hospitals and 13 private hospitals for basic package and 18 Public/Private hospitals for Critical Care have been empanelled.

2.44 lakh BPL families covered under this scheme in the State. Medical treatment facilities worth Rs 1.80 crore were made available to the BPL families within one year. 24 eligible persons had been benefitted under Health Insurance Cover for critical illness, which provides insurance cover upto Rs. 1.75 lakh by giving monetary assistance of Rs. 25.15 lakh. Eleven persons were provided medical treatment under the scheme outside the State by spending Rs. 4.39 lakh which speaks volumes of the Government's commitment to serve the under privileged sections of the society. '