The government’s flagship health insurance scheme for below-poverty-line (BPL) persons, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), will soon undergo a makeover by bringing “disjointed” schemes under a single umbrella, said a senior Health Ministry official.

The scheme, which proposes private-public partnerships to create a “strong infrastructure”, will also be widened to cover 8-10 crore BPL people with higher cash limits for treatment. At present, the cash limit is ₹30,000 a year for a family of five.

The new scheme, which was recently moved away from under the Labour Ministry’s purview to the Health Ministry, will be “flexible and IT-driven” to make its coverage wider, Bhanu Pratap Sharma, Secretary, Health Ministry, said at a CII event on health insurance here on Monday.

Giving details of the restructured RSBY, Sharma said it would have more benefits and beneficiaries, a CII release said. “Memoranda of understanding would be entered with State governments. States that want to extend the services to people above poverty line (APL) and provide secondary and tertiary benefits could do so as a top-up of the scheme,” he added. 

He said a large database was being created, detailing facilities available at hospitals, disease profile and other details, which would be of “immense help to every stakeholder.” 

Apart from universal coverage and affordability, the scheme will also lay stress on preventive care, such as free check-ups once in three years for the age group vulnerable to cardiac diseases and diabetes.

Asked about the availability of medical personnel, the Health Secretary said legislation should be passed in the near future for augmenting the supply of doctors and para-medical staff.  “There is also a proposal to speed up the process of accreditation of hospitals,” he added.

On the regulatory framework, Sharma said the Centre had enacted the Clinical Establishment Act, which has to be adopted by the State Government.  “So far, 14 or 15 State governments have adopted it and the rest are considering it though there are some differences of opinion, which should be resolved at the earliest,” he added.

Published on October 12, 2015