There is a need to find more specialists in various disciplines of medicine who are willing to treat the poor in the State, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Aravind Limbavali said here on Sunday.
He was speaking at the launch of Vajpayee Arogyasri Yojana for Bangalore division. Although the government negotiated with specialists and asked them to work in government hospitals, the efforts have not helped, the Minister said.
Like the Right to Education, there should be right to health, he said. “Initiatives like this [Vajpayee Arogyasri scheme] will help us provide healthcare facilities to a large section of society.”
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Mr. Limbavali said there was a need for government and private hospitals to work together to address health issues in the State. For this scheme to function effectively, the government would tie up with private hospitals outside the State so that people living in the borders of Karnataka could have access to healthcare facilities, he said.
Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who launched the scheme, said it would enable below the poverty line (BPL) families to avail of treatment in super-speciality hospitals.
Under the scheme, beneficiaries will receive assistance up to Rs. 1.5 lakh a year to meet medical expenses. In exceptional cases, an additional Rs. 50,000 will be given. Medical intervention for heart diseases, neurological disorders, renal diseases, cancer, burns and neonatal diseases, among other diseases, is covered under the scheme.
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Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R. Ashok spoke. Darshan Toogudeepa, Kannada film actor and brand ambassador for the Health Department, M. Madan Gopal, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, and V.B. Patil, Commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare, were present.