India to launch world's biggest healthcare scheme on August 15 or October 2: Report
New Delhi : National Health Protection Scheme, believed to be world's biggest healthcare scheme, is likely to be launched by Indian government on August 15 or October 2, claimed a media report.
The healthcare scheme was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the Budget 2018. It is intended to provide health insurance cover to 500 million Indians or 10 crore families of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year.
“We will launch a flagship National Health Protection Scheme to cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. This will be the world’s largest government funded health care programme. Adequate funds will be provided for smooth implementation of this programme,” Arun Jaitley had said while presenting the Union Budget 2018-19.
The government will also be setting up healthcare units across India to ease reach for health treatment by the people of India.
“These centres will provide comprehensive health care, including for noncommunicable diseases and maternal and child health services. “These centres will also provide free essential drugs and diagnostic services. I am committing Rs 1,200 crore in this budget for this flagship programme. I also invite contribution of private sector through CSR and philanthropic institutions in adopting these centres,” he said.
Disclosing details about the mega healthcare scheme announced in the Budget, the government on Friday said this will be jointly executed by the Centre and states and will incur a total cost of up to Rs 10,000 crore in the first year.
Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg said a lot of specificity will be brought into the scheme by the first quarter of the next fiscal.
"Based on the experience of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and some number crunching by the Health Ministry -- also a belief that this will be a shared scheme between Centre and state -- it places the next year's requirement at around Rs 4,000 crore," Garg told IANS.
