Wednesday, August 6, 2008

DIRECTIVE TO INSURANCE FIRM ON EMPANELLING OF HOSPITALS

Kancheepuram: The United India Insurance Company has been directed not to complete the process of empanelling hospitals for the Union and State government-sponsored Rural Health Insurance Policy (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana) for the families living below the poverty line (BPL) in Kancheepuram district.

Kancheepuram district has been selected as one of the two districts in Tamil Nadu for implementing the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana on a pilot basis. Tirunelveli is the other one.

As per the scheme, a BPL family, comprising five members, could avail itself of medical treatment at an empanelled hospital for a maximum amount of Rs. 30,000 a year. While the Union government would be paying 75 per cent of the annual premium of Rs.750 per beneficiary family, the State government would remit the remaining premium amount directly to the insurance provider, the United India Insurance Company.

Chairing a preparatory meeting for revenue officials for the implementation of policy, organised by the company here on Wednesday, Collector Santosh K. Misra directed the insurance cover provider to forward the list of hospitals identified by them as per the policy guidelines to the district administration before finalising it to ensure that hospitals located at a particular block or region alone were empanelled. The company should try to empanel hospitals that were located at different parts of the district so that it would be easy for the rural masses to avail themselves of the benefit extended to them under policy.

Responding to his direction, United India Insurance Company Regional Manager, Chennai, P.N. Balasubramanian said most of the private hospitals were not coming forward to get empanelled in the scheme.

However, 25 hospitals, approached by the company had agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to provide healthcare services to the policyholders at the rate specified by the company.

Replying to another query on empanelling names of the BPL family members, Mr. Balasubramanian said the company would go by the list given by the district administration.

If the name of a newborn is to be included in the list of beneficiaries, then the field officer – either a village administrative officer, revenue inspector or any other suitable village-level revenue department employee – should certify that the child belonged to the BPL family.

Source: The Hindu

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