Bengaluru: Arogya Bhagya, Karnataka’s flagship Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme to provide healthcare, irrespective of the individuals BPL or APL status, will be rolled out on Feb.25. And Aadhaar Card is enough for the patients to get this benefit.

Health Minister K.R. Ramesh Kumar told reporters in Bengaluru yesterday that the scheme was supposed to be rolled out on Nov.1, 2017 on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava but the deadline was missed because the Finance Department did not approve it in time. Chief Minister Siddharamaiah is expected to announce the roll out in the Budget on Feb.16.

Seven existing schemes — Vajpayee Arogyasri, Yeshasvini, Jyothi Sanjeevini, and Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish scheme, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, Rajiv Arogya Bhagya and Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) — are being merged under the UHC scheme.

All Taluk Government Hospitals will have dialysis, ICU and Ultrasound scanning facilities and District Hospitals will have CT MRI scanning facilities by March 2018, the Minister said.

The UHC scheme is expected to benefit 1.3 crore families and cost the exchequer Rs.869.4 crore to integrate all the existing schemes. Category A, comprising about one crore and five lakh households, will include farmers, teachers of aided schools, anganwadi workers, Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes, sanitation workers, unorganised workers, public servants and accredited media professionals who wouldn’t have to make any contribution towards the scheme which provides for treatment up to Rs.1.5 lakh in Government and private hospitals.

Around 30 lakh households which do not come under the above categories will be enrolled in the scheme when they apply online with their Aadhaar details.

Those in rural areas will need to contribute Rs.300 per person and those in urban areas Rs.700 per person.

Around 516 types of complicated secondary care procedures which will be referred to private hospitals will be free for Category A, while Category B beneficiaries can get 30 percent of the cost reimbursed by the State.

A 30 percent reimbursement can also be received by Category B beneficiaries for 663 tertiary care procedures.

HEALTH SCHEME AT A GLANCE

It will benefit 1.3 crore families.

Cost to exchequer Rs. 869.4 crore.

Treatment up to Rs.1.5 lakh in Government and private hospitals.

Existing schemes are being merged under the UHC scheme.

Contribution – Rural areas: Rs.300 a person and Urban areas: Rs.700 a person.