On September 12, 2020, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Governor, Manoj Sinha announced Universal Health Insurance Coverage Scheme for all residents of the Union Territory at an annual expenditure of Rs 123 Crores. The scheme will have the same benefits as the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
Through the scheme which is the first of its kind in the country, beneficiaries can avail cashless treatment at all hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme across the country. The Governor invited suggestions from the public for naming of the J&K Health Scheme.
Beneficiaries:
i.The scheme would include all the residents, employees and retired officers of Government Services of J&K and their families.
ii.The scheme will cover 15 lakh families, more than the 5.97 lakh families covered under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), with an annual health insurance cover of Rs 5 Lakh Per Family. iii.The scheme will be implemented through insurance service provider Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Ltd.
Key Points:
i.Cancer, Kidney Failure and treatment of Covid-19 will be covered under the scheme.
ii.All treatments of Oncology, Cardiology and Nephrology shall be covered from day one while high-end diagnostic treatments during hospitalisation will also be covered.
iii.There is no restriction on family size or age. All pre-existing medical conditions are also covered under the scheme.
iv.The Scheme will provide cover for 3 days of pre-hospitalisation, hospitalisation and 15 days of post-hospitalisation costs, including diagnostic care and expenditure on medicines.
v.The Health Department of J & K will launch a beneficiary registration drive to distribute Golden Cards (e-cards) amongst the beneficiaries.
Other Schemes:
Jammu & Kashmir Integrated Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (JK-IGRAMS)
i.The Lieutenant Governor (LG) also launched Jammu & Kashmir Integrated Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (JK-IGRAMS), through which people can file complaints.
ii.JK-IGRAMS is a revamped and decentralized system, where people can file and also track their complaints.
iii.It is linked with Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), through which grievances related to the Union Government can be forwarded to the Central Government.
Recent Related News:
i.On May 16, 2020, The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration approved the appointment of senior vice president (SVP) of HDFC bank Zubair Iqbal as the new Managing Director (MD) of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, for a period of 3 years.
ii.On 16th May 2020, The Centre approved to modification of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Ujh multipurpose Project (MPP) located on the river Ujh, main tributaries of river Ravi in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir at the estimated cost of Rs. 9,167 crores.
About Jammu & Kashmir:
Nickname – Switzerland of India
Hydro Projects – Ratle Hydroelectric project (River Chenab), Kiru hydro-electric project (River Chenab), Pakal Dul (Drangdhuran) Hydroelectric Project (River Marusudar), Kishanganga Power station (River Kishanganga), Dulhasti power station (River Chenab), Salal power station (River Chenab), Uri hydroelectric plant (River Jhelum).
