VISAKHAPATNAM: In a first of its kind, a trust floated by Visakha Dairy has launched a medicare scheme for its 62,000 milk producers in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.

Named as `Sukhibhava Padhakam,' members of the scheme have to pay an annual contribution of Rs. 100. The Milk Producers' and Employees' Educational Health and Medical Welfare Trust and the union will each give Rs. 50 per member.

Irrespective of their age, each member will be entitled to get medicines and clinical investigations for four persons in his family worth Rs. 25,000 at Krishi Trust Hospital.

The hospital was set up in 1998 on an area of nine acres at Sheilanagar by the trust. For expenses in corporate hospitals, members will be eligible up to Rs.35,000.

Before the scheme, the hospital used to conduct all operations free of cost. However, the patients used to buy medicines and spend on all sorts of clinical investigations.

"Now there is no need to pay for anything for the patients needing hospitalisation for at least 48 hours. They have to spend just Rs. 15 a day towards food expenses,'' Visakha Dairy Chairman Adari Tulasi Rao told reporters on Wednesday.

Bed strength doubled

The scheme was formally launched by Anakapalle MP Pappala Chalapathi Rao. Mr. Tulasi Rao said they were expecting an annual collection of Rs.1 crore and would spend the entire amount on the welfare of the milk producers.

He said they had doubled the bed strength of Krishi Trust Hospital from 60 and introduced homeopathy and ayurveda treatment recently.

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