IMPHAL: Below Poverty Line (BPL) patients of strife-torn Manipur will get Rs 1 lakh medical reimbursement from the state government. State health minister L Jayantakumar Singh on Monday launched the new scheme, christened Manipur State Illness Assistance Fund (MSIAF)'.
The central government-assisted scheme was implemented in six Indian states in 1996. As per records maintained by the state rural development and panchayati raj during its survey conducted between 2002 and 2007, the BPL population in Manipur is 1,69,252. The income ceiling for BPL families is Rs 20,000 per annum.
The MSIAF would provide one-time assistance on reimbursement basis to BPL patients of the state for treatment of major ailments at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and other government hospitals, the minister said, adding that the assistance would not exceed Rs 1 lakh.
He said the state government has already earmarked and sanctioned Rs 4 crore for the scheme and the Centre has been requested to release its fifty per cent share on it.
Heath officials said applications for assistance under MSIAF should be submitted to the health directorate and the same would be examined by a screening committee after which the latter would submit a report to the management committee indicating expenditure eligible for reimbursement.