Health Insurance Scheme to Bring 12.5 Lakh People Under it's Umbrella

Chief minister Harish Rawat on Monday launched the second phase of the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Beema Yojna (MSBY) which aims to cover 12.5 lakh people in the state. The health insurance scheme provides cashless health benefits for its holders in case of hospitalization in public as well as private hospitals. The scheme aims to cover all those in the state who are not tax payers, pensioners or government employees. In the second phase, the limit of the cashless benefits has been raised from Rs 50, 000 to Rs. 1.75 lakh. The scheme will now cover 1,206 ' common' diseases like dengue, fever and 459 'critical' diseases like cancer and kidney ailments. The scheme will be available in over 60 hospitals in Garhwal and Kumaon. Speaking on the occasion, the CM said, "Phase one of MSBY was a trial project and we had thought that even if it is 50% successful we will extend it further." Rawat also directed health minister Surinder Singh Negi to ensure that each hospital associated with the scheme has an MSBY facilitator to help patients avail themselves of the benefits.