The Labour Ministry is all set to field-test a mobile-phone enabled technology to extend the UPA Government’s flagship health insurance scheme for the poor to cover visits to the doctor’s chamber as well.

“The cost-effectiveness of the technology, which would require a physician to only have a mobile phone instead of a computer and internet connection to transmit data, could pave the way for its successful implementation all over the country,” Anil Swarup, Director-General, Labour Welfare, told Business Line . The field test is being carried out by the Punjab Government in Ropar, Bhatinda and Ferozepur districts.

At present, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) scheme provides cashless health care to poor families and various categories of unorganised workers up to Rs 30,000 a year for hospitalisation. Over 120 million beneficiaries in 26 States are covered under the scheme and the numbers are growing, he added.

One of the main reasons why RSBY has been restricted to hospitalisation so far is the problem of monitoring if it is extended to out-patients.

“In case of hospitalisation, one can physically go and check if a patient has been admitted. But, for out-patients, keeping track is difficult because they consult the doctor and leave. That is why we are taking time to extend RSBY to cover doctor visits,” Swarup said.

The cost involved for extending the scheme beyond hospitalisation, however, will not be much. “According to the pilot runs that we are carrying out in Puri and Gujarat for out-patients, State Governments have to pay just Rs 100 more than what they are paying for hospital insurance,” he added.

With the introduction of the mobile-phone based technology for transmitting data, monitoring would become better and easier to implement. A physician would need to just have a mobile phone to punch in the details of a patient’s ailment and treatment given, including the fees charged.

Apart from this, doctors would need a one-time investment of about Rs 12,000 on a compact machine that would serve as both a card-reader and a finger-print reader.

“This will add to the mobility of doctors covered under RSBY as they can easily carry the equipment even for house-calls. The finger-print reader will minimise misuse,” another official pointed out.

There are more States, including Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand, that have plans of carrying out pilot runs for giving RSBY cover to out-patients.

States give 25 per cent of the funds required for the RSBY, while the balance is given by the Centre.

>amiti.sen@thehindu.co.in

>aditi.n@thehindu.co.in

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