January 16, 2014

Karnataka becomes first State to provide Universal Health Coverage

Health

Karnataka became the first State in India to provide Universal Health Coverage to its population. It achieved the distinction with the launch of Rajiv Arogya Yojana on 9 January 2014.
The Scheme entails the beneficiary to pay only 10 percent of the cost of treatment or procedures. It aims at providing subsidized healthcare to virtually every citizen in the State with Above Poverty Line (APL) card. The BPL families are already covered under health scheme through Vajpayee Arogya Sree programme.
Under the scheme, APL family members are entitled for health check up to 1.5 lakh rupees per annum. In special cases, if the expenditure exceeds 1.5 lakh rupees, the government grants another 50000 rupees. The scheme covers 447 procedures and 50 follow-up packages. The beneficiaries can avail treatment in 160 hospitals, including 14 hospitals outside the State.
The scheme will cover cardiovascular diseases, cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy), neurological diseases, renal diseases, burns, poly-trauma cases not covered by motor vehicle insurance and neo-natal cases. The cost of Universal Health Coverage is estimated to be 120 crore rupees annually