2018 Union Budget - Health Insurance Cover of Rs 5 Lakhs For India's Poor Thursday Feb 01,2018

Hundred million poor and vulnerable families will get insurance cover of as much as Rs5 lakh each under a National Health Protection Scheme unveiled by finance minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech on Thursday Feb 01,2018

The insurance scheme, billed as the world’s largest government-funded healthcare programme and seen as a precursor to universal health coverage, can be used to pay for hospitalisation and treatment in secondary and tertiary care facilities.

“This will help in extending healthcare to at least 50 crore people in the country,” Jaitley said.

Jaitley announced another programme—Ayushman Bharat initiative—to provide comprehensive healthcare with a focus on maternal and child health services. Two dozen new government medical colleges and hospitals will be established and existing district hospitals will be upgraded under the programme.

Over 150,000 health and wellness centres will be set up with an allocation of Rs1,200 crore, Jaitley said. Considering the growing burden of tuberculosis and most patients’ inability to pay for their food requirements, the finance minister allocated Rs600 crore to provide nutritional support for each tuberculosis patient. Under the provision, Rs500 a month will be paid through the treatment period to each patient.

The finance minister urged the private sector to support the government’s healthcare initiatives through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and philanthropic activities.