Date:10/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/10/stories/2008101053370800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Health insurance scheme falls flat

R. Avadhani

Rajiv Giri Bala Raksha scheme in cold storage

Under the scheme insurance companies provide accidental insurance
Many private hospitals empanelled by insurance firms not open to the scheme

SANGAREDDY: Have you ever heard about ‘Rajiv Giri Bala Raksha’ scheme launched at the end of 2006? This is one of the several schemes launched by the State government two years back and the most unused, at least in Medak district.

The scheme was aimed at providing health insurance to tribal students studying at Ashram Schools, tribal welfare hostels, gurukul schools and colleges, mini gurukul vidyalayas and Kasturba Gandhi Girl schools.

The basic features of the scheme was that the Tribal Welfare Department would pay Rs. 20 per each student to the insurance company and in turn the insurance company would provide health insurance to the tune of Rs. 5,000 per each student in addition to accidental insurance. In the case of accidental death of a student, the company would pay Rs. 15,000 to the parents or guardian of the deceased student.

The company will also offer a transport expenditure of Rs. 500 (maximum) to shift the student to any hospital.

Though the scheme is offering many facilities, so far only two cases were referred to the insurance company for reimbursement of expenditure incurred to treat the students .

Plea to Collector

While wardens at the hostels are facing the problem of non responsiveness from the private hospitals empanelled by the insurance company, none of them know that the company would reimburse the amount even if any student was treated at another hospital, in the case of emergency. “There are instances where the doctors rejected to take up the cases and at least in one instance we are forced to shift a student from one hospital to another hospital due to the same reason,” said an official of the department on condition of anonymity.

They wish the intervention at the level of district Collector to convince the private hospitals to treat the tribal students in time, when required.

Not a single case

There are at least another four districts in the State where not even a single case was referred to the insurance company, the official added.

Many of the times the wardens taking pains to shift the suffering students to government hospitals instead of getting them treated in private hospitals.

The scheme was aimed at providing health insurance to tribal students