Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has announced the Jammu and Kashmir health plan aimed at providing universal health insurance coverage to all Union Territory residents at a likely annual cost of Rs 123 million.
On the occasion of its launch, Sinha said that the central agenda of the government was welfare and it will ensure that all viable reforms and benefits are filtered to each and every resident, even the most neglected sections, in a hassle-free way like
part of efforts to improve the standard of living in general.
By listing the salient features of the plan, LG said that it will provide free health insurance coverage to all residents of Jammu and Kashmir, who are currently not covered by AB-PMJAY or Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
Financial Commissioner for Health and Medical Education Atal Dulloo said the plan would also include J&K government service employees and retirees and their families.
“You will have the same benefits that are available under AB-PMJAY with an annual health insurance coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family on a floating basis, ”he said.
He further said that the plan will cover around 15 lakh families above the 5.97 lakh families, already covered by AB-PMJAY. In addition, 1592 medical packages already approved under AB-PMJAY will also be available to J&K health plan beneficiaries.
Dulloo said life-consuming diseases such as cancer, kidney failure and Covid-19 are also covered by the scheme. “All high-end oncology, cardiology and nephrology treatments will be covered from day one, while high-end diagnostic treatments during hospitalization will also be covered.”
There will be no restrictions on family size or age and all pre-existing medical conditions will be covered by the scheme, including 3 days of prehospitalization, hospitalization, and 15 days of post-hospitalization expenses, including diagnostic care and medications.
Atal Dulloo also pointed out that at present, there are around 23,300 paneled hospitals across India, where this scheme will be honored. These include 218 public and private hospitals that are already integrated into J&K.
The health department will launch a beneficiary registration campaign to distribute Tarjeta Doradas (electronic cards) to beneficiaries soon.
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Data from the 2011 socioeconomic census of castes (SECC) will be used to identify families for the scheme, as families suffering from any of the deprivations defined in SECC are already covered by AB-PMJAY, he said.
“However, under the J&K health scheme, the remaining families, including those without any deprivation, will also be covered. In the event that any family is left out of the SECC 2011 database, the procedure for their inclusion in the database was also approved, ”added Dulloo.
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He said that under the J&K health scheme, the portability option will be available as appropriate under AB-PMJAY, allowing beneficiary families to take advantage of cashless service from any of AB-PMJAY’s listed healthcare providers throughout the country.
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