Domestic helps, hawkers from Delhi to get cashless health insurance
MDT/PTI 12 October 2012

Each family comprising a maximum of five members residing in Delhi, will have to make a token payment of Rs30 and it will be entitled to medical benefits of up to Rs30,000 per year in empanelled hospitals

 
New Delhi: In a bid to ensure better medical care to the economically weaker section, Delhi Government has decided to extend cashless health insurance cover to domestic helps, street vendors, railway porters and hawkers in the city, reports PTI.
 
The health insurance cover to the new categories will be provided under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) and it will benefit nearly eight lakh families comprising around 40 lakh people, Delhi Health Minister AK Walia said.
 
Currently, the scheme covers all below poverty line (BPL) families, construction workers registered with Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board and 'most vulnerable families' in the city identified by the Social Welfare department.
 
"The scheme covers about one lakh families having about five lakh members. Inclusion of the new categories is expected to benefit eight lakh families in Delhi comprising about 40 lakh members," Walia said.
 
To avail the benefit of the scheme, each family comprising a maximum of five members, will have to make a token payment of Rs30 and it will be entitled to medical benefits of up to Rs30,000 per year in empanelled hospitals.
 
The premium under this scheme is paid by the Central and city governments on behalf of the beneficiary.
 
On registration, beneficiaries will be issued a smart card which contains essential information of the family. The card makes the family members entitled for cashless treatment facilities at selected hospitals.
 
The registration of beneficiaries will start next month, Walia said.
 
The decision to include new categories under the scheme was taken at a meeting attended by representatives of three Municipal Corporations, NDMC, Northern Railway, Delhi Medical Association, Oriental Insurance Company and the Labour Department, which is the nodal department to implement the scheme. 
 
The Rasthriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, the flagship scheme of the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment was launched to provide medical care to the poorest of the poor.
 
Walia directed all stakeholders to extend their full co-operation in ensuring effective implementation of the scheme.
 
"I have asked all the agencies concerned to ensure that the scheme covers maximum number of eligible families so that the citizens are not compelled to go to quacks or take loans for the medical treatment of their near and dear ones," Walia said.
 
He said domestic workers can approach either Resident Welfare Associations or the Office of Sub-Divisional Magistrates to get the their names enrolled under the scheme while vendors can approach municipal bodies.
 
The Railway porters should contact the local railway authorities for availing the benefits of the scheme.
 
The details of the scheme can also be obtained from the toll free helpline number 12789 (toll free).
 
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