Implementation Of Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana In Odisha Gets Underway

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has begun the process for implementation of its own health scheme, Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).

The new scheme would be inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on August 15.

In a letter to all district collectors on Wednesday, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Pramod Meherda, has asked them to ensure that the letter of the Chief Minister should reach all beneficiaries on the basis of the guidelines issued by the department.

A total of 69,69,672 beneficiaries of the state have been included under the scheme.

To hand over the letter of the Chief Minister, the Health and Family Welfare department has prepared a specific format.

The collectors have been asked to complete the process of handing over the letter in a week (August 15 to 22), it added.

The guidelines for BSKY will be same as that of Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF) with a difference in the ceiling, which has been increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

Under this scheme, the beneficiaries will get cashless treatment in the 30 empanelled private hospitals. The state government is likely to include more hospitals from outside the state to offer advanced care to the patients. The beneficiaries will use their cards to avail the benefits. As many as 255 surgeries will be covered under the scheme.

The state government would spend around Rs 600 crore-Rs 800 crore annually under the scheme.