Date:08/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/08/stories/2006090811951700.htm

Business

Plea to hand over health insurance scheme to public sector company

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: General Insurance Officers' All India Association has appealed to the State Government to hand over the health insurance scheme for Below Poverty Line families in the State to one of the public sector general insurance companies. P. P. Mohanan, State general secretary of the association, said in a press release here that this was the only way to overcome the problem facing the insurance scheme now.

The scheme started by the United Democratic Front Government had not taken off even though it was launched in January this year. During this period, the poor families were deprived of insurance cover, said the press release.

It claimed that the Insurance Officers' Association had pointed out earlier that a private company would not have the capacity to deal with such a scheme involving 25 lakh BPL families. The universal health insurance scheme that was devised by the Union Government three years ago had been implemented successfully through public sector insurance companies.