State health department is planning to introduce a scheme offering free medical insurance for secondary care. Minister for health and family welfare U T Khader said that a scheme will be introduced in the state soon after cabinet approval.
“We have been providing free medical insurance for tertiary care for surgery and treatment of seven major ailments. Similarly, the department has plans to introduce a new scheme to provide free secondary care for the poor in government and private hospitals in the state,” said Khader, during the launch of non-communicable disease (NCD) control programme on Monday.
The new scheme that aims to provide free secondary care may be launched next year if chief minister Siddaramaiah gives his nod. “We have decided to focus on making all health schemes effective instead of introducing additional schemes for three years,” Khader said.
Khader said the NCD control programme will be launched on a pilot basis in Dakshina Kannada and Davanagere districts.
“All government health centres will have a paramedical staff dedicated to create awareness on NCD control programme. The role of elected representatives is significant to create awareness on government health programmes. We have decided to hold workshops for elected representatives across the state. The workshops for elected representatives will be held to create awareness on government health schemes in every district soon,” Khader said.
“The benefits of all government health schemes can be taken to the poor at the grassroots if elected representatives take initiatives. The members of gram panchayat, taluk panchayat and zilla panchayat may guide the poor people in their locality to avail government health scheme benefits,” Khader said.
District minister B Ramanath Rai inaugurated the programme. Mangaluru City South MLA J R Lobo and MLC Ivan D’Souza called upon the elected representatives to reach out to the poor.
Resource persons M R Padma, deputy director, NCD control programme; B G Prakash Kumar, deputy director, national vector-borne disease control programme; and M Vishwaradhya, director, Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust delivered the talks.
The Times of India
