RSBY Beneficiaries Can Avail Free Healthcare Benefits Under BKKY: Minister

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to extend free healthcare benefits to  Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) beneficiaries with Rs 1 lakh insurance cover under Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY).

Talking to mediapersons here, Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena said 44,08,070 families enrolled under RSBY, who are getting insurance coverage of Rs 30,000 will have a top-up of Rs 70,000 through BKKY (Stream-II) from Jan 1, 2019.

“After the closure of RSBY from December 31, 2018, by the Centre, the state government has decided to cover the existing RSBY beneficiaries under BKKY (Stream-II) by providing a total of Rs 1 lakh insurance coverage under the BKKY (Stream-II) card. For this, all the RSBY beneficiaries have been provided BKKY (Stream-II) cards,” the minister pointed out.

Managing director of National Health Mission (NHM) Shalini Pandit said the left-over RSBY beneficiaries can get BKKY (Stream-II) card by showing their RSBY card at BKKY kiosk in every district headquarters hospital or can contact either the deputy director, Agriculture or the district coordinator, State Health Assurance Society (SHAS), of the respective districts. The beneficiaries can also dial BSKY toll-free number-155369.

“All RSBY beneficiaries will be covered with Rs 1 lakh insurance under BKKY (Stream-II) from January 1, 2019,” she informed.

The state government had started Biju Swathya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) on August 15, 2018, with two components—universal healthcare (free healthcare for all procedures) to all people in all government health institutions up to the DHH (district headquarters hospital) levels and annual health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family (7 lakh to women members of family) to more than 70 lakh families of lower socio-economic section of the society in all government and 208 empanelled private health institutions (through the existing RSBY, BKKY and Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF) schemes.

Since its launch till December 15, 2018, a total of 1,82,33,733 instances have been recorded where people have availed healthcare through the BSKY, official sources said.