Tata Trusts launches universal health insurance programme in Vijayawada

Swatha Kutumbam, the health insurance scheme is for the marginalised communities

Tata Trusts launched a first of its kind health insurance scheme, Swatha Kutumbam, for the marginalised communities in Vijayawada on Saturday. 

Following the concept of universal health coverage, the scheme is open to 1 million residents living in 2.5 lakh households across 265 villages in the parliamentary constituency of Vijayawada.

The scheme is part of a comprehensive initiative which began when Tata Trusts signed MoU with Andhra Pradesh government in August last year.

Tata Trusts said that it has designed Swatha Kutumbam by controlling costs and ensuring that premium paid is lower than any other existing scheme in the state. In this family floater scheme, beneficiaries will pay a premium of Rs 1 per day per person to get a cover of Rs 1 lakh per family. Costs related to medicines, diagnostics, and post-surgery care will be covered. Tata Trusts has roped in Star Health Insurance as the insurance partner for Swastha Kutumbam.

According to Tata Trusts, the main objective of this scheme is to provide universal healthcare to the rural population of Vijayawada and replicating the same model across states. The area was chosen as a pilot to demonstrate that sustainable universal health coverage across a network of private hospitals is available at minimal costs. This is crucial because government hospitals in India operate at full capacity round the year. Going forward, governments hospitals will also be able to participate in this scheme, it said.