'Risk of dying from diseases covered under insurance falls'

The risk of dying from diseases covered under government's free insurance scheme dropped by a significant 64 per cent in Karnataka, a World Bank study said today.
The Vajpayee Arogyashree Scheme (VAS) is implemented by Karnataka government with support from the World Bank Group.
"The risk of dying from conditions covered by insurance dropped by 64 per cent for residents with insurance. Out of pocket health expenditure for hospitalisation due to covered conditions dropped by 60 per cent," a World Bank release said.
The utilisation of healthcare facilities for the covered conditions may have risen, it said.
"The results of this study are important to India as it makes choices on how to make progress towards universal health coverage," said Onno Ruhl, World Bank Group Country Director for India.

The programme shows how purchasing health services for the poorest can both improve health and provide protection from impoverishment, Ruhl said in the statement.

The free insurance scheme covered specific high-impact medical conditions such as heart disease and cancer.
VAS provides free tertiary care both at private and public hospitals for below the poverty line (BPL) families with little or no access to tertiary care.
The scheme offers automatic enrollment of all BPL families with no annual premiums, user fees, or copayments.
It also organises health camps in rural areas to help screen patients for tertiary care and transport them to hospitals in urban centres.

"...This programme benefits the health of the poor in Karnataka. It provides hospital care that the poor would have difficulty receiving without the help of the scheme," said U T Khader, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Karnataka government.
The study included more than 82,000 households in the state.