Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 06 2010:
Distribution of smart cards to beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance Scheme (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana) which the government had announced is going to be launched in Imphal east district will start on November 9 .
Smart card holders under this scheme will be provided free health care services.
BPL families and workers in the unorganized sectors are the beneficiaries of the scheme.
Authorities of the Manipur state Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana had already started issue of smart cards to selected beneficiaries, officials said.
Official sources said that preparation of smart cards for 2000 out of identified 27,565 BPL (Below Poverty Line) families of the district had been completed and the same will be issued to the beneficiaries on November 9 .
Government has identified two hospitals in the state where free medical treatment could be availed of by a NHIS smart card holder.
For delivery cases, they can get free healthcare service at Langol View Clinic, Imphal while for other ailments they can go for treatment to Public Hospital, Hatta, Imphal.
Beds will always be reserved for smart card holders in these two hospitals.
Even though the National Health Insurance Scheme (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana) was implemented in the country six year back in 2004-05, in Manipur the same started only in the early part of this current year, that too only in Imphal east district.
The scheme being implemented in the state will be run with 90 percent as central share funds, only 10 percent will be borne by the state.
That is out of Rs 750 annual paramecium amount to be given to a BPL family beneficiary, the centre will bear 75% while 25% will be borne by the state.
New India Assurance Company Limited, Mumbai is the insurance provider of the scheme in Manipur.