Early Times Report
jammu, Nov 7: After the lapse of around two months, since Lieutenant Governor MK Sinha had announced Rs 5 Lakh annual health insurance cover for all residents of Jammu and Kashmir, the scheme is still a non-starter as residents are only being registered but none of them has been getting health insurance benefit under the scheme.
The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on September 12 had announced Jammu and Kashmir Health Scheme, which was intended to provide universal health insurance cover to all residents, in conjunction with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, at the likely cost of Rs 123 Crores.
However, after lapse of nearly two months, since the announcement, thousands of people have got themselves registered under the scheme but except registration, they have not got any benefit.
"So far none of them has got health insurance card from the registration centres and they centre owners have only assuring that once the scheme would be formally launched or inaugurated they would automatically get cards as well as the benefit of the scheme", an owner of data entry centre informed Early Times.
He further said that though people were very enthusiastic about the scheme, after they got the information that the scheme would provide benefits similar to the Ayushman Bharat scheme. "However after getting themselves registered, they demand health cards, similar to Golden cards under Ayushman Bharat but we can only assure them that the private companies involved in the scheme would send the cards, they feel dejected", another registration centre owner said.
They further informed that it was claimed that though scheme has been announced but has not been formally launched or inaugurated. "There were rumours that the scheme would be launched on October 2 but after persistent wait the date passed and not it is still unclear as when the scheme would be formally authorized and launched for the residents", they said.
A senior official of Health department informed that there were reports that though scheme has been announced but authorization for the scheme as well as some modalities between the private players including insurance company as well as health institutes were yet to be finalized. "After finalization of these modalities, the scheme would be formally inaugurated after which people would get benefits", the official said, admitting that at present residents of JK have not been getting any benefit of the much hyped Rs. 5 Lakhs health insurance cover.
Mission Director National Health Mission, Bhupinder Kumar didn't pick up his phone for comments.
Pertinently, the scheme will provide health insurance cover free of cost to all those residents of Jammu and Kashmir, who are presently not covered under AB-PMJAY or Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
The scheme would also include employees and retirees from government services of J&K and their families, while the scheme will have the same benefits as available under AB-PMJAY with an annual health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family on a floater basis. The life consuming diseases such as cancer, kidney failure and Covid-19 are also covered under the scheme. All high-end treatments of oncology, cardiology and nephrology will be covered from day one while the high-end diagnostic treatments during hospitalization will also be covered. |
