THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Bhubaneswar, Dec 29: With the launch of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) third phase, the Odisha government will provide cashless treatment for serious illnesses in private hospitals for all rural families who were not covered by the scheme’s previous two phases.
It is projected that around 90% of the state’s population will have access to health assurance under the BSKY following the launch of this third phase.
Cashless treatment in private hospilats
Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik on Friday stated, “We are now launching the third phase of BSKY, where all left out families of rural areas of our State will be assured of cashless care in private hospitals, for critical ailments. In this phase of expansion, all rural families of Odisha (except regular government employees and income tax payees), who are presently not covered under BSKY, will be eligible to receive the “BSKY Nabin Card.”
“This will entitle them to cashless care of Rs 5 lakh per annum (upto 10 lakh for women members of the family), in empaneled private hospitals both inside and outside the State, for identified critical illnesses. With this third phase of expansion, it is estimated that over 1.10 crore families, covering nearly 90 per cent of the population of the State, will be provided health assurance under the BSKY,” he further stated.
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The Chief Minister stated that “Sustha Odisha, Sukhi Odisha” has been the inspiration for all initiatives in the state’s health sector and that it has always been his goal to offer everyone in Odisha access to universal health coverage.
Rs 4,500 crore cashless care in 5 years
He mentioned that the vision was set in motion five years ago with the launch of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, heralding a revolutionary change in delivering health assurance to the residents of Odisha.
Under BSKY, the Chief Minister highlighted that on a monthly basis, over 45 lakh individuals avail themselves of free healthcare services at public health facilities in the state. Furthermore, 1.3 lakh individuals receive cashless care, resulting in a monthly expenditure of Rs 260 crores in affiliated private hospitals.
“In the past five years, BSKY has provided nearly 21 lakh patients with cashless healthcare worth about Rs 4,500 crore in private hospitals alone,” Odisha CM stated.
“It has thus become a unique model for universal health coverage, leveraging the strengths of both the public and private sectors to provide comprehensive health assurance to the people of Odisha,” he added.
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