Accident insurance scheme likely in budget

An accident health insurance scheme, trauma centres on national highways, oral health policy with focus on girl child, increased compensation for endosulfan victims and extension of the scheme to set up dialysis centres in one taluk of each district.

These are some of the new schemes being planned in the State Budget scheduled to be presented on February 14.

Health Minister U.T. Khader told The Hindu on Saturday that the accident health insurance scheme would ensure timely treatment for road traffic accident victims.

“Whenever a road traffic accident happens, it is very rare that someone will take the affected person to a hospital. Even if the victim is transported to the hospital, usually he/she is left unattended as the question of who will bear the treatment cost comes into focus. To avoid delay in treatment, we are planning to bear an initial treatment cost of up to Rs. 35,000 till 48 hours after the accident,” Mr. Khader said.

He said the 48-hour timeline was fixed because it would take at least two days for the family of the victim to find out about the accident and reach the hospital.

With most accidents happening on the highways, the government is also planning to set up trauma centres close to them. Official sources said the government had asked GVK EMRI, the company that is running 108 Arogya Kavacha ambulance scheme in the State, to identify eight accident prone spots on highways.

Sources said the plan was to either upgrade the Health Department’s health centres (primary or community) located closer to the highways or set up new facilities.

Vulnerable spots

Vulnerable spots have been identified on the highways near Mangalore, Nelamangala, Pune-Bangalore Road near Tumkur, Chitradurga, Bellary, Raichur, Gulbarga, Haveri and Hoskote. The identification is based on the accident statistics recorded with 108 Arogya Kavacha, the sources said.

He said nearly 80 per cent of the 22 new health programmes announced in last year’s budget had either been implemented or were in the process of implementation. “We have not been able to get clearance from the Finance Department for the scheme pertaining to the supply of nutritional support to tuberculosis and HIV patients through fair price shops as we have already given them ration cards under the Below Poverty Line category,” he added.