Keonjhar: After the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSVY) stopped working in the state, thousands of poor people covered under it are deprived of healthcare in mineral-rich Keonjhar district for the last one and a half months, a report said.
The report said 2,15,873 people were availing its benefits in the district. Under the scheme, they used to get healthcare aid up to Rs 30,000.
RSBY is aimed at addressing the plight of poor people through health insurance in the case of hospitalisation for families Below the Poverty Line (BPL). It also provides protection to BPL households from financial liabilities arising out of health problems involving hospitalisation. Beneficiaries under RSBY are entitled for hospitalisation coverage of up to Rs 30,000 for most of the diseases.
The government has even fixed the package rates for the hospitals for a large number of interventions. The coverage extends to five members of the family — the head of household, spouse and up to three dependents.
Beneficiaries are required to pay only Rs 30 as registration fee while the central and state governments pay the premium at 75 per cent and 25 per cent respectively to the insurer, selected by the state government on the basis of a competitive bidding.
In Odisha, the state government had announced to bring the RSVY beneficiaries under newly launched Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY), but their RSVY cards have not been converted into BKKY cards. As a result, poor people have been facing a lot of problems. Many others who want to make use of BKKY are also in the same situation, it is alleged.
Kushadhwaja Mallick, a resident of Nuasahi, said, “There are advertisements on TV channels and newspapers about the BKKY, but we do not know how to get its benefits. When we go to hospital, we are told that the card will not be available now.”
“The government does a lot of publicity about BKKY enrolments and benefits on TV and in newspapers. Many people rush to hospitals daily with a lot of hopes, but return frustrated. There is a need to take immediate steps to sort out the problems,” said Suraj Kumar Mohapatra, a lawyer.
Some health officials say no clear-cut guidelines have come to enroll beneficiaries. Nearly 30 people turn up at hospitals every day seeking the benefits.
ASHA coordinator Prasanna Kumar Dabata said, “The process is on to cover RSVY beneficiaries under BKKY. Now poor patients are treated freely, if they produce BPL card or income certificates. Those having BKKY cards will get healthcare benefits at 208 authorised hospitals in the state.”
Deputy Director of Agriculture, Chitta Ranjan Sahu, said card conversion to BKKY has not been done as the affiliated insurance company has not provided any information in this regard.
PNN
