Karnataka became the first State in India to provide Universal Health Coverage to its
population. It achieved the distinction with the launch of Rajiv Arogya Yojana on 9 January 2014.
The Scheme entails the beneficiary to pay
only 10 percent of the cost of treatment or procedures. It aims at providing
subsidized healthcare to virtually every citizen in the State with Above Poverty Line (APL) card. The BPL
families are already covered under health scheme through Vajpayee Arogya Sree
programme.
Under the scheme, APL family members are
entitled for health check up to 1.5 lakh rupees per annum. In special cases, if
the expenditure exceeds 1.5 lakh rupees, the government grants another 50000
rupees. The scheme covers 447 procedures and 50 follow-up packages. The
beneficiaries can avail treatment in 160 hospitals, including 14 hospitals
outside the State.
The scheme will cover cardiovascular
diseases, cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy),
neurological diseases, renal diseases, burns, poly-trauma cases not covered by
motor vehicle insurance and neo-natal cases. The cost of Universal Health Coverage
is estimated to be 120 crore rupees annually