₹5-lakh health insurance scheme for J&K residents

The scheme will cost around ₹123 crore a year; to include those working in, retired from government services

SRINAGAR Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday rolled out a universal health insurance scheme that will cover all residents of the Union Territory. The scheme will approximately cost ₹123 crore, annually.

Launching the scheme, Sinha said the government’s core agenda was welfare and it will ensure that all workable reforms and benefits percolate to each and every resident, down to the most neglected sections, in a hassle-free manner as part of efforts to improve the overall standard of living.

Enumerating the salient feathe LG said it will provide health insurance cover free of cost to all residents of Jammu and Kashmir, who are not covered under the AB-PMJAY or Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Health and medical education financial commissioner Atal Dulloo said the scheme will also include employees and retirees from government services in J&K and their families.

“It will have the same benefits as those available under AB-PMJAY with an annual health insurance cover of₹5 lakh per family on floater basis,” he said.

15 lakh families to be covered

He said the scheme will cover around 15 lakh families over and above the 5.97 lakh families already covered under AB-PMJAY.

He said around 1,592 medical packages already approved under AB-PMJAY will also be available to the beneficiaries of the J&K health scheme. Dulloo said life threatening diseases such as cancer, kidney failure and Covid-19 were also covered under the scheme. “All high-end treatments related to oncology, cardiology and nephrology will be covered as will high-end diagnostic tests during hospitalisation ,” he said.

Pre-existing medical conditions to be covered

Insurance cover will be protures, vided irrespective of family size and age. Pre-existing medical conditions, three days of prehospitalisation, hospitalisation and 15 days of post-hospitalisation expenses, and diagnostic care and medicines, will be covered under the scheme.

Dulloo said around 23,300 hospitals had been empanelled across India where this scheme will be honoured. These include 218 public and private hospitals in J&K.

“The health department will be launching a beneficiary registration drive to distribute Golden Cards (e-cards) among the beneficiaries soon,” he said.

Data from the 2011 socio-economic caste census will be used for identification of families for the scheme since the families suffering from any of the deprivations defined under SECC are already covered under AB-PMJAY, he said.

“However, under the J&K health scheme, the remaining families including those who do not suffer from any deprivation will also be covered. In case any family is left out from the database of SECC 2011, the procedure for inclusion in the database has also been approved” Dulloo added.

Under the J&K health scheme, portability option will be available as applicable under AB-PMJAY, which will allow the beneficiary families to avail cashless service from any of the health care providers empanelled under AB-PMJAY across the country.

{ MANOJ SINHA } J&K LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Will ensure all reforms, benefits percolate to each

resident.