In reply to questions raised by MLA A Rajender, Minister Pithani Satyanarayana said that the Health And Personal Accident Insurance Scheme has not been economically viable.
Social Welfare Minister Pithani Satyanarayana on Friday admitted that the objectives of the Health And Personal Accident Insurance Scheme have not been achieved.
In reply to questions raised by MLA A Rajender and CPM's Julakanti Ranga Reddy during Question Hour at the State Legislative Assembly, the minister said that the scheme has not been economically viable. The total premium paid to the insurance company during the year 2009-10 was Rs. 80,33,740, and the insurance claimed had only been Rs. 2,86,678. Giving a district-wise break-up of claims of the scheme during 2009-10, he said that four claims each had been made in Vizianagaram and East Godavari, three claims in Visakhapatnam, two each in West Godavari, Krishna, Nellore, Chittor and Adilabad, and one claim in Khammam district.
The minister said that the scheme is not being extended to the students of the Welfare Hospital in the state. He also informed that all Social Welfare hostel boarders are covered under Arogyasri, along with their family members.
Satyanarayana said that Joint Directors and Deputy Directors (SW) of the state have been instructed to take special care of sick boarders, and to see to it that, if required, necessary medical aid is provided to them immediately. He also claimed that permission has been given for the sanctioning of an amount of Rs. 5,000 by Deputy Directors at the district level, for the treatment of serious ailments, from the available budget.
"In all serious cases, instructions have given to refer the students to District Hospitals, SVIMS, NIMS, Osmania Hospital, Niloufer Hospital, Gandhi Hospital and other approved hospitals for better treatment. An amount of Rs. 25.37 lakh has been released to the districts towards medical expenses of hostel boarders during the year 2012-13," the minister said. (INN)