Artificial limbs, for which the Tamil Nadu government was collecting a minimum fee till now, will be provided for free of cost, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Monday.
Shortly after inspecting the newly built Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation, K.K. Nagar, Chennai, the Minister said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin would inaugurate the building, which has come up through World Bank funding, on January 28. The centre has come up at a total cost of ₹39.83 crore -- ₹28.40 crore for building and ₹11.43 crore for equipment.
The Minister said the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), which was nearing a coverage of 1.5 crore beneficiaries, provided coverage for differently-abled persons with no income ceiling. Those who had the disability identity cards were eligible to be covered under CMCHIS with no income ceiling.
“The State government has so far been collecting a minimum fee from persons who require artificial limbs. The Chief Minister has advised that this fee should be waived and the prosthetic limbs should be given free of cost. The Chief Minister will launch the scheme on the occasion,” he said.
The Minister earlier said the prosthetic limb manufacturing unit, which was already functioning in an old building, would be shifted to the new centre. The facility would also have administrative offices and training spaces. The government was planning to send three or four technicians to Bengaluru to take a look at the functioning of battery-operated prosthesis.
The Chief Minister would distribute artificial limbs and wheelchairs during the inauguration. He would also issue identity cards to persons who had leprosy and elephantiasis. Health Secretary P. Senthilkumar was present during the inspection.
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