Delhi govt. enhances financial aid for poor patients

In a bid to facilitate better health service to the poor, Delhi Government has taken several quantum of decisions in health and human welfare sectors like setting up a new hospital in north Delhi and enhancing the financial aid to poor patients in the treatment of life threatening diseases.

The Delhi Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Monday has decided to facilitate better health service to more and more people. For this, Delhi government has announced to set up a 200-bed hospital in Burari area of north Delhi where local people can get benefits from it. This hospital will also work as a referral hospital where referred patients from local dispensaries and nearby hospitals will come up for getting treatment.

To cover up more people in state's popular health scheme 'Delhi Arogya Kosh' in which financial aid is provided to poor suffering from critical illness like heart disease, cancer and kidney diseases, the government has decided to eased its eligibility norms.

Since now, those who have an annual family income of upto Rs. 2 lakh and were living in Delhi since last three years (Residence proof is mandatory) may take the benefits of this scheme. Earlier, the eligible annual family income was Rs.1 lakh.

The amount of financial assistance for getting treatment of critical health problems and undergoing life-threatening surgeries has also been increased from Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh.

It has also been decided that treatment will be available in all government hospitals ? central, state or local.

Sheila after the meet inform to media that government has raised the upper limit of assistance from Rs 1.5 lakh for heart, cancer and kidney diseases to Rs 5 lakh or 100 per cent of the estimated cost of treatment, whichever is less.

"The upper limit of assistance for diseases requiring kidney transplant, bone marrow transplant or liver transplant has been raised from Rs. 2.5 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh or 100 per cent of the estimated cost, whichever is less," said Dikshit.

The annual assistance of Rs. 1.5 lakh for diseases requiring dialysis has been changed to Rs 1,500 per dialysis, including cost of drugs if treatment is done in a private hospital, added Sheila.

--With Agencies Inputs--