UP committed to providing free treatment to poor: Akhilesh

Due to expensive healthcare system several families have to part with their property for treatment, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said today, while assuring that the government was committed to providing free treatment to poor.
He was addressing a regional workshop on National Health Insurance Scheme at Indira Gandhi Prathisthan.
The chief minister emphasised on expanding beneficiary sections under the scheme.
"Several families have to lose even their property for treatment, but they do not get health benefit. The government understands the pain of the people therefore arrangement of free treatment has been made," he said.
He said that the state government has provided free land for setting up of AIIMS at Rae Bareli and keeping in view the population of the state "more such institutes should be set up".

The CM said that with the same feeling the then SP government established rural medical institute at Sefai, which was proving free treatment to a large number of people in the area.

The chief minister said that solution should be worked out for the problems being faced in implementing State Agency for Comprehensive Health Insurance (SACHI) so that the scheme could become more effective and beneficial.
All efforts should be made to take the schemes to the poor and better coordination should be developed between the hospitals and insurance companies listed under the scheme, he said.
While referring to various scams in health department during the previous BSP regime, Yadav said that the state government was working to provide better treatment and education facilities to the people.

Emphasising on wide publicity of SACHI, he said that if the scheme becomes successful in UP it would have a big impact in the country.
Praising the state health minister Ahmad Hasan for making new ambulances operational, Yadav said that Samajwadi Ambulance service was proving useful for the people.
The CM also felicitated the district magistrates, chief medical officers, superintendents, doctors and officers of insurance companies for their performance under the scheme.
Speaking on the occasion, health minister Hasan said that the government has made arrangement of Rs 70 crore to implement the scheme.