Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Aug 10, 2004
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Aug 10, 2004 |
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Money & Banking
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General Insurance AP to launch universal health insurance scheme for children Our Bureau
Hyderabad , Aug. 9 THE Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to launch a universal health insurance scheme to take care of the health needs of children suffering from various ailments. The modalities of the scheme would be finalised after studying a model being implemented in Karnataka. Children under 12 and belonging to BPL (below poverty line) families would be brought under the scheme. It is estimated that about two lakh children under 12 years were suffering from heart problems in the State. About 20,000 children add to this number every year. Announcing this here at a press conference on Monday, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister, said the Government would upgrade all the 10 Government teaching hospitals and NIMS (Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences) and SVIMS (Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences) to equip them with the necessary infrastructure. These decisions were taken at an all-party meeting held to discuss the issue. The Government would organise medical camps at all district headquarters to identify the children suffering from heart diseases. The move follows the death of two children in the last 48 hours. The two boys were among a 1,000 children who gathered at a city auditorium to demand financial support from the Government to attend to their heart diseases. While one boy collapsed and died at the meeting itself, another Rajasekhar, died at Care Hospitals. All the agitating children were screened at major city hospitals. Of them, 419 were admitted for immediate medical attention. Dr Rajasekhara Reddy visited NIMS where 109 children were being treated. Earlier in the day, the alleged hush-up of news about Rajasekhar's death created a furore at Care Hospitals, with hundreds of activists of the Mahajana Sangharashana Samithi, led by its Convenor, Mr Manda Krishna Madiga, staging a dharna in front of it. They alleged that the hospitals had tried to suppress the news. Punjagutta police took the agitators into custody. Refuting the charge, the hospital said that they were under no obligation, medically or legally, to inform the Government, police or media. "Our job is to attend to the patients. We have no medical or legal obligation to inform anyone," Dr N. Krishna Reddy, Director (Operations) of Care, told a press conference. He said the boy had been kept on ventilation as soon as he was admitted. His condition was not good enough to conduct a surgery. Forty children were admitted to the hospital.
More Stories on : General Insurance | Health | Andhra Pradesh | Children & Parenting
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