27 Maha districts to be covered under health insurance scheme

The Maharashtra government will include 27 districts under the second phase of Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayi Arogya Yojna, to be launched by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi here tomorrow.
The first phase of the scheme was launched in the state on July 2 last year as a pilot project and eight districts -- Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Raigarh, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Nanded, Dhule and Solapur -- were selected for implementation, state Health Minister Suresh Shetty said here today.
He said that under the scheme, about 971 types of surgeries and procedures, along with 121 follow-up packages have been included.
Surgeries included are cardiology, nephrology, kidney transplants, besides other medical procedures.

A total of 2.11 crore families will be benefited by the scheme and beneficiaries will be issued health cards linked to white ration cards.
Even without health cards, patients can walk into the designated hospitals with their ration cards and photo ID cards.

Shetty said that a team of expert doctors would monitor cases including diseases and treatment suggested by local hospitals, while pre-surgery approvals would be granted online.
He said that patients may call toll-free numbers of control room round-the-clock for any help.
The scheme is run by the state-owned National Insurance Company.