The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Aarogyasri to cover five more districts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 01, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Aarogyasri to cover five more districts

Y. Mallikarjun

Cochlear implant surgery for children and chemo, radio therapies included

Photo: Mohd. Yousuf.

Boon for the poor: A 70-year-old beneficiary of Aarogyasri scheme at KIMS Hospital in Hyderabad. -

HYDERABAD: Seeing the success of the pilot scheme and realising the need for providing financial protection to more families living below the poverty line for treatment of major ailments, the State Government has decided to extend the Rajiv Aarogyasri Community Health Insurance Scheme to another five districts from December 5.

According to CEO Aaryogyasri Health Care Trust, Babu. A, the scheme is being extended to Chittoor, East Godavari, Nalgonda, Ranga Reddy and West Godavari districts with modifications by including 50 more procedures.

Cochlear implant surgery for children aged below six years and chemo and radio therapies for cancer treatment are among the new procedures that have been included.

Health cards

He said the Trust would issue health cards to 48.23 lakh BPL families in the five districts from November 15. As many as 450 Aarogyamitras would be appointed in these districts in all Government Hospitals and PHCs to guide the beneficiaries.

The scheme -- launched on a pilot basis on April 1 in Mahabubnagar, Anantapur and Srikakulam districts -- is planned to be extended to all districts by end of 2008. About 19,972 patients, including 13,500 out-patients, were treated till October-end in 76 empanelled network hospitals, both from the Government and private sector. Pre-authorisation was given by the insurance company for 6,577 cases so far, involving a cost of over Rs.36.66 crore, with each claim working out to Rs.55,744.

A major chunk of the pre-authorisation cases related to cardiac ailments (3,553), followed by neuro (1,184), cancer (1080), renal (359), poly trauma (327) and burns (74). As many as 6,414 patients underwent surgeries—male (3,158), female (2,455) and children (801).

Rs. 1.5 lakh ceiling

Expenses of hospitalisation, surgical and therapeutic procedures would be met for treatment in any of the 76 network hospitals with a ceiling of Rs.1.5 lakh per family a year.

The benefit will be extended on floater basis—the total reimbursement could be availed of individually or collectively by the family members.

With an additional Rs.10 crore being provided as buffer/corporate floater to take care of expenses if they exceeded Rs.1.5 lakh per individual/family, up to Rs.50,000 would be provided in such cases based on the recommendation of a committee set up by the Trust.

The scheme would provide coverage for heart, cancer treatment (surgery, chemo-therapy, radio-therapy), neurosurgery, renal disease, burns and poly-trauma cases which are not covered by the Motor Vehicles Act.

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