Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday announced yet another popular scheme in the name of Biju Patnaik, one of the architects of modern Odisha, for providing health assistance to 70 lakh families.
This health assurance scheme will be known as Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana and will be launched on August 15.
Naveen announced the scheme after reviewing various development activities of health department at the state secretariat on Tuesday. The state government on Tuesday also announced to stop all kind of user fees collected by the state's government hospitals from the patients.
Announcing the scheme, Naveen said: "Under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, 70 lakh people will be given health assistance of Rs 5 lakh. Five people of a family will get the benefit under the scheme."
The chief minister's office in a press release made it clear that "it is not a health insurance scheme but an health assurance scheme and the entire cost will be borne by the state government."
These benefits will be available in all the government hospitals, right from sub-centres to district hospitals. Medicines and all health services will be provided for free to Rs 5 lakh.
Aware of the issue that many pregnant women die on the road because of non-availability of ambulances, Naveen also announced that pregnant women coming for treatment will get a financial assistance of Rs 500.
"The financial assistance will also be extended to newborns and ill children coming to hospital for treatment," said a press release.
Officials said about 6.5 lakh pregnant women and children will be benefited from the scheme.
Lightning death
A 40-year-old man died in a lightning strike in Keonjhar on Monday. The incident took place at Jamunamasi village in Sadar police station limits of the district. The deceased has been identified as Duryadhan Barik. The police have registered a case of unnatural death. The next kin of the deceased would be given Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia following the Odisha government's compensation norms, said an official.
