SHILLONG, Nov 28 � Meghalaya has become one of the first States in India to provide health insurance cover for all the residents of the State irrespective of income levels.
The scheme, Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS), will provide all households in the State with a financial cover of upto Rs 1, 60,000 annually to cover in-patient services, irrespective of income levels.
The decision was taken by the Government after signing an agreement with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co Ltd. The Government decision had the advisory support of International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank.
ICICI was selected as the insurer after a rigorous and competitive bidding process advised by the IFC in which bids were received from six leading insurers. The Government choose ICICI for its lowest premium offered to be paid by the Government on behalf of the State residents.
Under the scheme, existing public health system of Meghalaya would be integrated by empanelling these institutions. Some of these institutions being public sector hospitals in the State and the Government would further empanel some private hospitals too.
Moreover, the insurance company would empanel tertiary hospitals outside the State to provide advance health care to cardiac and cancer patients.
Currently, under the Central Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) scheme, Below Poverty Line families are provided a health insurance cover of Rs 30, 000. MHIS would be using the same platform in implementing the health insurance scheme, but the income level would be done away with.
�The State Government is engaging with the Government Health Care providers and providing training and performance based incentives. MHIS will also maintain the country-wide portability inherent to the basic RSBY Scheme and provide cashless treatment of specified high cost and recurrent illnesses,� a State Government official said after signing the agreement.
Meanwhile, the agreement was signed here by Meban R Synrem, Chief Executive Officer, MHIS and Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, and Pranab Sharma, Associate Vice President, ICICI Lombard in the presence of the Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, Chief Secretary WMS Pariat, and representatives from the IFC and the World Bank.