The sprawling ground of Bannu School where the Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana was formally launched on Tuesday was packed with people who looked anxious to know about their status under the universal health insurance scheme.
Islam Khan, a daily wage earner and resident of Sahaspur area of Dehradun, was standing in a queue outside a counter set up by the health department at programme site for providing golden cards of the scheme. When inquired, he said, “To me this scheme appears the best one to cater to the problem of poor. People like me work hard to earn two square meals a day and have to borrow money at high interest rates from money lenders when someone in the family is admitted at hospital. Now with this scheme this problem of lakhs of people like me who live from hand to mouth and spend a fortune for medical treatment is solved,’’ he said.
Satish Kumar of Nehru colony, echoed the same as he was seen asking the officials about the scheme when the names of all the major private hospitals of Dehradun were being mentioned. “I was told that patients would have to first visit a government hospital from where they would refer to private hospitals if need arises. It is fair enough,’’ he said.
Intzar Ali of Mohabbewala of Dehradun said that he had recently spent a sum of Rs 2 lakh on the treatment of his wife when she developed a heart problem. He said that the scheme is a blessing for poor who do not know where to go when someone in family is seriously ill. Ali, however, cautioned about effective implementation of the scheme. “On paper, this scheme is good but there is a lot of difference when one faces things on the hard ground,” he said guardedly.
Anita Devi who had come from Doiwala said that the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat must be hailed for his historic decision to provide a health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh for every family of the state.
A medical officer of state health services said that the provision of giving 15 percent incentive to the doctors and 10 percent to nurses and other staff is a master stroke which would ensure a marked improvement in the functioning of the government hospitals.