Bhubaneswar, May 7: People belonging to the below poverty line (BPL) category can now avail health facilities at major private hospitals of the state. The expenditure incurred on the treatment will be reimbursed from the Odisha State Treatment Fund.

One can avail a maximum Rs 3 lakh funds for treatment.

In order to provide these important healthcare facilities to the poor, the state government has accorded “referral hospital status” to 21 private hospitals.

These referral hospitals are mostly private hospitals located in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Balasore,Baripada, Vishakhapatnam and Raipur.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik today.

Henceforth, one can avail funds from the Odisha Treatment Fund with much ease. The forms to avail funds will be made available to the people in all the panchayats across the state.

It will also be available in the block headquarters. The forms will be written in Odia, whereas they were earlier written in English. Massive awareness programme will be launched to this effect.

The government has already distributed Rs 17 crore to nearly 11,000 beneficiaries.

The district collectors and revenue divisional commissioners have been asked to take the review of the implementation of the scheme once in every fortnight.

The health secretary will take a review meeting once in a month.

The government has also decided that medicine and other facilities would be provided to the patients, who go for a kidney transplant, for six months.

Henceforth, the chief district medical officer (CDMO) can refer a case to any of the government medical college and hospitals of the state directly.

The chief minister was informed by the officials that Rs 50 crore had already been distributed to the poor under the National Health Insurance Scheme.