The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Income ceiling for free treatment in government hospitals goes

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Friday, Jun 26, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Income ceiling for free treatment in government hospitals goes

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Treatment in government hospitals in the State will hereafter be free with the government removing the income ceiling for free treatment. At present, only patients whose monthly income is less than Rs.1,999 are eligible for free treatment. This was announced by Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam while replying to the debate on demands for grants pertaining to his Ministry in the Assembly on Thursday. He said the government would soon launch a major insurance scheme to provide free treatment for 51 life-threatening diseases to one crore poor families either in government or private hospitals. The entire premium of Rs.517 crore would be paid by the government. Under the scheme, each beneficiary family would be insured up to Rs.1 lakh in a block period of four years.

Action is being taken to construct an outpatient complex of the Government General Hospital here at a cost of Rs.70 crore in the erstwhile Central Jail land allotted for the expansion of the hospital. A mega blood bank would be set up at a cost of Rs.400 crore in the same place.

The Government Rajaji Hospital at Madurai would be upgraded multi-speciality hospital on a par with the AIIMS, New Delhi, at a cost of Rs.150 crore. A National Institute of Ageing would be established at K.K. Nagar here at a cost of Rs.112 crore with Central assistance.

The government would implement a special reproductive health care programme for women at a cost of Rs.5 crore.

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Tamil Nadu