Govt to fast track MHIS Phase III

SHILLONG: With the State government being pilloried by the opposition parties for stopping the benefits of the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) in its second phase, the Health Department on Tuesday said it was firing on all cylinders to start the third phase within a month. Speaking to The Shillong Times on Tuesday, Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department HM Shangpliang said the department was trying hard to expedite the process of starting Phase III of the health cover scheme. The policy period of MHIS Phase II ended on October 31 putting many beneficiaries, most of whom are from the economically backward section, in a quandary over how to avail themselves of the scheme in case of an emergency treatment. UDP working president Jemino Mawthoh said on Monday the scheme should have been continued without a break as thousands of poor people would be affected. A day after the second phase expired, health secretary Shangpliang said the government would soon invite tenders for Phase III. “We are trying our best to start the scheme in a month’s time,” he added. The department will also conduct awareness programmes to enable more people to opt for the scheme. Shangpliang said the department was also trying to include senior citizens in the scheme and enhance the insurance cover, which was Rs 2 lakh in Phase II. The policy period for MHIS II was from August 1, 2015, to July 31, 2016, and it was extended for three more months. The October 2013 electoral database was used for enrolment in the phase that had around 3.5 lakh beneficiaries. Claims generated from 71,532 households till September 30 amount to Rs 47.08 crore. The scheme covers 210 hospitals, including 109 primary health centres, 59 private hospitals both in and outside the State. The second phase was designed in convergence mode with the existing central health insurance scheme, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, which provides Rs 30,000 cover to families below the poverty line.