After Students Health Card, J&K Govt announces free 'Universal Health Coverage'

In a major decision to improve the health sector in Jammu and Kashmir, the Administrative Council gave nod to free of cost Universal Health Coverage benefit to residents of J&K.

Financial Commissioner Health & Medical Education, Atal Dulloo said that the Administrative Council of the Union Territory which held a meeting under the chairmanship of Lt. Governor Girish Chander Murmi in Jammu, has decided to provide free of cost Universal Health Coverage to all the residents in convergence with Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY. He added that around 15 lakhs additional families will be benefitted under the scheme apart from already covered 5.95 lakhs families.

“The scheme will provide an insurance cover of Rs.5 lakh per family annually without any restrictions on family size, age or gender.

The scheme will cover all the pre-existing illnesses besides high-end treatments of oncology, cardiology, and nephrology. This scheme will also cover employees, pensioners, and their family members,” he added.

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The scheme would benefit over 1.25 crore people

More than 1.25 crore residents of Jammu and Kashmir will be able to avail of this health benefit in over 20,000 hospitals across the country. In Jammu and Kashmir, Government has tied up with 159 hospitals for the scheme and this will include treatment of diseases like Cancer and Kidney Transplant.

It will include free health insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year on floater basis, no restriction on family size, age or gender. All pre-existing illnesses will be covered, and cashless services will available in all the empaneled hospitals. Additionally, they will be given access to 20,853 (public and private) hospitals across the country to avail of the benefits with the facility of interstate portability. In J&K 159 (public and private) hospitals are empaneled at present.  

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The scheme covers 1,469 medical and surgical packages/procedures including packages of deadly diseases, such as cancer and kidney failure. All high-end treatments of oncology, cardiology, and nephrology will be covered from day one, and high-end diagnostic procedures will also be covered during hospitalization. The scheme covers three days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days of the post-hospitalisation expenses.

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Free medical checkups for students

Earlier on March 5, the J&K Government had announced free medical checkup for students of Government schools. The scheme, held twice a year, covered students studying in Class 1 to Class 12.

There are more than 23 lakh students studying in various schools in the Jammu and Kashmir and initially “Health Report Card” will cover 12 lakh students studying in Government schools of the newly carved Union Territory. Medical checkups will be in four phases and will these phases will be called 4Ds of “Health Report Card”.

This massive exercise of Jammu and Kashmir Government aimed to cover more than 29,000 schools in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

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(Image: PTI)