Karnataka First in India to Give Universal Health Coverage

On 20th January, Karnataka became the first state in the country to provide universal health coverage with the launch of two schemes, the Rajiv Arogya Bhagya for APL households and the Jyothi Sanjeevini for government employees.The health coverage will cost the government approximately Rs. 120 crore annually. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who launched the schemes, said APL family members would be entitled for a health care costing up to Rs. 1.5 lakh a year.

In special cases, if the expenditure exceeded Rs. 1.5 lakh, the government would sanction an additional sum of Rs. 50,000. The scheme aimed at providing subsidized healthcare to every citizen in the State involving APL families, he said. The scheme proposed to cover 449 surgical procedures and 50 follow-up packages.

Beneficiaries could access treatment in 160 hospitals, including 14 hospitals outside the State. The government employees would get cashless treatment in 124 empaneled private hospitals under the Jyothi Sanjeevini scheme. This covered 449 surgery procedures and 60 follow-up packages.

In 2010, the State had launched the Vajpayee Arogyasri scheme, an insurance scheme for BPL households.

Source: Nagesh Prabhu

Source-Medindia