Soon, Free Insurance for Dengue-Hit Students

The district health authorities on Monday rolled out a plan to provide health insurance to all government school students if they are diagnosed with dengue. The scheme, sources said, will be offered to more than 20,000 students of 612 government schools across the city. A student will get a free-of-cost insurance cover of Rs. 25,000, and can avail treatment in any city government hospital.

"Some students won't get proper treatment owing to lack of funds. That is why the authorities have come up with the plan," deputy civil surgeon (vector-borne diseases) Dr Snehlata said.The district health authorities, sources said, have come up with the plan with the help of a few private players. An amount of Rs. 150 per student will be paid by private companies as insurance premium.

"It's a PPP (public-private partnership) model. One private company has agreed to fund the programme already, while the authorities are planning to rope in more private firms in an attempt to increase the insurance amount," a source in the health department told TOI.Appreciating the initiative, Dr. Rajesh Kumar of Paras Hospital said, "Children are most vulnerable to dengue. We witness a lot of cases of dengue among school children. So, free-of-cost health insurance cover is definitely a welcome step."

A standard health insurance plan for dengue provides a coverage of pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses for 30-40 days. Besides, the plan covers diagnosis and consultation charges. The exact benefits of the plan rolled out by the authorities are, however, yet to be revealed.Nearly 400 cases of dengue were recorded last year. While in 2014, 135 cases were recorded, in 2013, 375 cases, including three causalities, were reported.According to doctors, children comprise nearly 35% of total dengue patients. "More than 35% patients are in the age group of 1 to 16 years. Many children can't get the required treatment owing to lack of funds. It is a commendable initiative by the authorities. However, the authorities should also take an initiative to provide financial help to children who are below two years of age, as their immunity is low and they often fall prey of dengue," Dr. Shazina Khan, a city-based general physician, said.The scheme is expected to be introduced on July 22.