Hyderabad|India|June'2009: The Chief Minister Dr.Y S Rajasekhara Reddy urged the Government of India to advise the Planning Commission to provide financial support to the Aarogyasri schemes of Andhra Pradesh considering it as a centrally sponsored scheme, on a 70:30 cost sharing basis, as a special case.

The Chief Minister who will be taking up the matter with the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Gulam Nabi Azad, also wrote a detailed letter to the Prime Minister in this regard. The Chief Minister will explain to the Union Health Minister that the Aarogyasri scheme is a pioneering effort in health delivery to poor people.

The Chief Minister will tell the Union Government that the Government of Andhra Pradesh is spending a total of Rs.1725 crores per annum under these schemes; Rs. 1350 crores under Aarogyasri I and II, Rs. 250 crores for 104 fixed day health services and Rs. 125 crores for 108 emergency ambulance services. The State also spends Rs.975 crores as premium for Aarogyasri healthcare insurance.

The Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to depute a Central team to study the scheme in depth. Dr Reddy is of the opinion that this scheme may be extended throughout the country on the same lines or improved further. He told the PM that this scheme has been acclaimed at Geneva in ‘Forum for Health’ on the sidelines of World Health Assembly by the World Health Organization.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Chief Minister said as the Aarogyasri scheme being an unique technology-led intervention that directly empowers the rural poor, brings the best of the medical intervention to their door steps and thus enhances the dignity and quality of life of the poor people.

The Chief Minister in his letter to the Prime Minister explained that his government initiated some reforms in health sector to improve its outreach as well as service delivery. He said as a medical doctor, he could assess its strengths, weaknesses and how they evolved during the past 50 years. The Government sincerely attempted to strengthen it by enhancing its budget, staff and doctors. However, the government simultaneously assessed the need for tertiary care which is supported by modern medicine, advancement in technology, rapid strides in diagnosis and treatment of complicated diseases found that the conventional government health and medical delivery system requires a good deal of support, as it is required to cater to the needs of BPL population.

Major ailments often throw them into perpetual poverty, debt trap or allow them to see their near and dear die helplessly. After scientific analysis of medical problems of more than 1,00,000 families who availed CMRF, the Chief Minister said and added that he could see and assess the suffering and huge gap on requirement and existing available government medical delivery system.

He said his government designed and initiated a unique scheme called ‘Rajiv Aarogyasri Community Health Insurance Scheme’ on 1st April, 2007 in three districts on pilot basis and later extended it throughout Andhra Pradesh covering 1.65 crore BPL families. He said that the scheme is being implemented under a Private Public Partnership. The Stake holders are the 1.65 crore BPL card holders in the State; Government Hospitals; Corporate Hospitals; Doctors; Insurance Company and the Aarogya Sri Trust.

The Chief Minister explained that a Robust computer-based online network system facilitates paperless process. He said that it is a basic healthcare and tertiary care together started giving considerable health Support to BPL population. Because of economies of scale, economic costs came down drastically. Network Hospitals are participating in the scheme very enthusiastically and giving service at prescribed rates of all 942 procedures. Till today more than 3,00,000 patients were treated in hospitals at a cost of over Rs.900 Crores, and as a byproduct around 18 lakhs patients have been screened. Above all 6.6 crores population in the State is now confident that they can cope up with any major health disaster in their families.

The Chief Minister will also take up the matter personally with the Prime Minister when he meets him during his next visit to New Delhi.

Reachout's News Bureau
 June' 2009