Hurdles Give Way To Hope

This clearly is a first. The National Trust under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment has given the go-ahead for a health insurance scheme for those afflicted with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disability. The pilot project covering one lakh persons in ten districts across the country will be launched next week. ICICI Lombard has been selected through a tendering process to provide the cover. The insurance company will charge an annual premium of Rs 99 per beneficiary for a Rs 1 lakhpolicy. Called the Niramaya scheme, it will cover those who fall in the BPL category. Health services will be provided by an empanelled network of hospitals and nursing homes which have medical facilities both in urban and rural centres. The scheme was envisaged by the National Trust because such cover is not readily available for the disabled. Under the Niramaya scheme, a comprehensive medical coverage is what is promised. Also, there will be no pre-insurance medical tests. The scheme has been welcomed by those working in the disability sector as a positive step which should be extended so that insurance cover becomes available to more persons with disabilities.