KARIMNAGAR: "I incurred medical expenses of about Rs 12,000 for my first delivery at a private hospital in Warangal. Now the cost has come down to Rs 2,000 for my second delivery that too for the purchase of medicines, thanks to the Arogya Raksha scheme implemented by the Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP),'' says a woman SHG member of interior Manthani mandal, who is undergoing treatment at a corporate hospital on the outskirts of the town.

Balaiah of Husnabad mandal, who is suffering from knee and other ailments did not undergo medical examination following his poverty since ages, is now undergoing treatment in hospital with all care and has been referred to the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) for the treatment of the disease.

Brisk enrolment

These are only a few examples. More than 9,536 women SHG members have enrolled in the ambitious Arogya Raksha scheme during the last two months. About 4,762 patients have been treated as out-patients and 1,396 have been treated as in-patients at the prestigious Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) at Nagnuru village on the outskirts of Karimnagar town.

The district rural development agency (Indira Kranthi Patham) has chalked out a comprehensive health insurance plan in collaboration with the PIMS Hospital for the benefit of the families of the women SHG members in the district on an experimental basis. The scheme was formally launched in the second week of July this year under which about 9,536 women of various SHGs were enrolled in the district. At a lowest premium of Rs 448, an entire family of five members could avail of health insurance for a period of three years.

Digital passbooks

Terming the scheme as "Jeevana Jyothi Zilla Mahila Samakya'' jointly taken up by the Indira Kranthi Patham and PIMS Hospital, the authorities also distributed digital passbooks for the treatment of all five members of the family at the hospital. The DRDA project director, T Chiranjeevulu, said that they had decided to extend the scheme to a total of 1 lakh women SHG members in a phased manner. The Collector, C Parthasarathi, said that the World Bank team was visiting Karimnagar district on September 4 to study the successful implementation of Arogya Raksha scheme among the SHG women and later expanding the programme to other districts of the State.

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