TAMIL NADU HEALTH SCHEME (Rs.150-cr for new insurance scheme)

TAMIL NADU HEALTH SCHEME

(Rs.150-cr for new insurance scheme)

A sum of Rs.150 crore has been allotted initially against newly-formulated Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme,Tamil Nadu. Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam announced in the Assembly on Thursday.4^th August, 2011. The old insurance scheme of the DMK regime was terminated, but to benefit patients in the bridge period between suspending the old scheme and launching the new one, a sum of Rs.100 crore was separately allocated, Finance Secretary K. Shanmugam said in his post budget briefing. The government will focus on improvement of primary health care facilities in urban areas. The 60 centres already sanctioned under the National Rural Health Mission, will be shifted under the administrative and technical control of the Directorate of Public Health. Further, the Finance Minister announced that Urban Primary Health Care centres will be set up in 75 more small urban towns. A super-specialty centre, at a cost of Rs.100 crore, would be set up in Annal Gandhi Government Hospital, Tiruchi.

Additionally, infrastructure and equipment upgradation has been planned for district hospitals and poison treatment centres at a cost of Rs.55 crore, under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project. Also, under public-private partnership agreements, diagnostic facilities at the major hospitals will be improved, and state-of-the-art computer aided laboratories established in all districts in a phased manner. A ‘Hospital on Wheels' scheme will be launched to provide door-to-door health care services far-flung areas to begin with. Sanitary napkins will be provided free of cost to rural girls through the ICDS network and village health nurses. A sum of Rs.46 crore has been provided for this. Emergency transportation provided through the 108 ambulance service will further be extended to offering inter-facility transfer for all emergencies. Additionally, special vehicles will be put into service in tribal and hilly areas, and one vehicle will be provided per district for transporting new born babies.

Nice to know that the Tamil Nadu  government is spending huge amounts of money on health.

                                                                    Prof. John Kurakar