Meghalaya a step ahead in universal health care: Hek

NEW DELHI: Meghalaya has gone one step ahead in universal health coverage by bringing even those outside the BPL category under the ambit of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). This was informed by Health Minister AL Hek during a high level meeting on increasing accessibility and availability of healthcare services for all held here recently.
In Meghalaya, the RSBY has been tied up with Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) which provides health insurance cover of up to Rs. 2 lakh to all residents of the state excluding Central and the State Government Employees, Hek said.
The meeting called by the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare to discuss the draft National Health Policy, which has been pending for last one year was chaired by Union Health Minister, J P Nadda.
It may be mentioned that the RSBY provides health cover to BPL households, with beneficiaries entitled to hospitalization cover of Rs 30,000 for a range of diseases.
Hek stressed on the need for free diagnostic centres for all kinds of tests which have become very expensive particularly for people who cannot afford to go for investigation.
Hek revealed that many APL families including some of the well to do ones have come under BPL due to expensive medical treatment even as he brought to the notice of the Centre that fresh registration for MHIS has cost the State Exchequer dearly.
“It was a complete waste of time and money and therefore, it has been suggested that the re-registration should be improved with actual addition and deletion,” Hek added.
The Minster also submitted the proposal to Nadda to upgrade the Rynjah State Dispensary to Primary Health Centre.
Meanwhile, the draft policy suggested making health a fundamental right, similar to education. Besides, the draft also highlighted issues of universal health coverage along with maternal and infant mortality.
The draft for the new policy, which came in 2015 after a gap of 13 years, suggested increasing the public healthcare expenditure to 2.5% of GDP. It also recommended access to free drugs and diagnostics and changes in laws to make healthcare more accessible.