PANJIM: If you haven’t applied for your Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY) insurance card then you may want to get it done at the earliest, as the government has decided to charge those without cards at government-run hospitals.
According to Health Department officials, the government has decided that those without the health insurance scheme card will be charged 30 percent of the total cost during the first year and subsequently, 60 percent of the total cost from the second year onwards.
The charges will be applicable to all those without the DDSSY card at the four empanelled government –Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim, North District Asilo Hospital in Mapusa, Hospicio Hospital in Margao and the Sub District Hospital in Ponda.
A senior officer told Herald, that the government wants to make it mandatory that every citizen of the State is covered under the insurance policy. Since, the launch of the DDSSY scheme, around 2.10 lakh cards have been made, indicating that an equal number of families have registered themselves under the scheme.
In addition, proposals are in the pipeline to charge those from outside the State who come to Goa for medical facilities in the state-run hospitals. “While, Goans who have not registered themselves will be charged to encourage them to get themselves registered, visitors from outside the State will have to pay a certain amount for the facilities in the state-run hospitals,” the officer added.
The Health Department is also looking at complaints from beneficiaries that private hospitals are using the scheme as a subsidy and providing services to the patients.
The health official said, “Hospitals are using the card of the beneficiary and providing discounts on the overall charges for the procedure, though hospitals are mandated to provide all basic facilities as mentioned in the scheme and admit the patient in a general ward. However, private hospitals have been abstaining from maintaining general wards or have just two-three beds in the general ward.”
The government has extended the date of the current year of DDSSY scheme till August 31, and citizens do not have to renew their cards until August-end.
