Dimapur, March 19: The Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) in collaboration with the State Health Agency for Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (SHA/AB-PMJAY) conducted orientation and hands-on training on Beneficiary Identification System (BIS) for the District Coordinator-MIS, Block Program Managers and Data Entry Operators from District and blocks respectively from March 16 to 18 at Kohima.
M Rollan Lotha, Chief Operating Officer-Programs (COO-P), NSRLM, in the keynote address, shared that the NSRLM and SHA/PMJAY have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly work together in ensuring the shared goals of universal health coverage for rural households in Nagaland through PMJAY (health insurance) scheme.
He stated that the State Mission would play pivotal role of sensitization and mobilization of the rural community through its rich network of social capital, the Community Cadres along with ASHA workers in the villages.
He underscored the importance of this initiative as it is going to ensure no one suffers financial hardships or impoverishment due to high medical expenditure for hospitalizations or are unable to access medical care on account of unaffordability.
He said poverty increases the vulnerability of people to various disease, sickness, and adversely affects their household income leading to abject poverty, therefore, he reiterated that the joint venture is expected to bring about tremendous change in the lives of the rural populace and increased enrolment under PMJAY.
Dr. Kika Longkumer, State Nodal Officer & Joint Director, SHA/H&FW, gave a brief note on PMJAY. He stated Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) is a health insurance scheme which aims to accelerate India’s progress towards universal health coverage, wherein, over 2.33 lakhs families in Nagaland have been covered under the Scheme till date.
He informed that the scheme provides free treatment of up to Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year, without any cap on family size and age and no restrictions on pre-existing conditions, covering around 1664 treatment packages including child delivery to cancer treatment from any empanelled private or public hospitals within Nagaland or anywhere in the country.
To access the benefit, a patient has to be admitted in the hospital, except in a few treatment packages like day care dialysis, chemotherapy session, etc.
OPD services are not covered under this scheme. This being an entitlement-based scheme, eligible households are those whose families listed in socio economic and caste Census (SECC) 2011 under the deprived categories and those who possess RSBY card issued in 2016 or 2017. He expressed that health expenses are high and a burden to household economy, and that this scheme mitigates the burden of rural poor by providing free health insurance.
It may be noted that the State Mission is present in 1167 villages under 74 RD Blocks covering all Districts. Accordingly, SHA AB PM-JAY and NSRLM will jointly foster BIS services for increased enrolment in all the villages through the SHGs and their Federations and Community Cadres. They will conduct beneficiary mobilization by regular sensitization through SHG/VLO/CLF weekly meetings, IEC campaign, house to house visit, FI Mela, and Health Insurance Mela. And eCard generation of eligible beneficiaries under the scheme shall be done by the Data Entry Operators along with SHA team.
Rajuselie Lhousa, State Program Managers (FI)-NSRLM and Renvungo Murry, State Program Managers (MIS)-NSRLM jointly facilitated the training, while, Alongla, Operations Manager; Yanger Sanglir, Technical Consultant; Neitshope Sekhamo, Data Coordinator; and Seyievito Denny Kin, Technical Coordinator were the resource persons from SHA.(Page News Service)
