Jaipur: With most beneficiaries of the Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme found opting for the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme at government hospitals and saving the Chiranjeevi schemes’ coverage amounts for future use at private hospitals, the government is suffering huge losses, officials of the health department have observed.
The government is paying premiums to insurance companies for cashless treatment of people under the Chiranjeevi scheme, but many patients covered under the scheme are found opting for the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme for treatment in government hospitals.
The government, therefore, has to spend twice for such patients—once in the form of premiums to insurance companies under the Chiranjeevi scheme, and then in the form of treatment costs at government hospitals under the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme.
Meanwhile, the government is also paying the bills of treatment of patients who do not have Chiranjeevi cards at government hospitals under the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme.
The government is therefore appealing to patients covered under the Chiranjeevi scheme to get treatment at government hospitals by availing themselves of the benefits of Chiranjeevi scheme and not the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme.
Chiranjeevi scheme is also a source of income for the government hospitals as the treatment cost of patients is paid to them by the insurance companies. In the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme, no such reimbursements are made as the state government itself pays the costs of treatment of the patients to the hospitals.
Since all facilities including OPD, IPD, medicines and tests in government hospitals have been made free of cost, CM Ashok Gehlot has directed the hospitals to ensure that no money should be charged from patients for treatment. The government says Chiranjeevi and Nirogi Rajasthan schemes have been launched to ensure that patients from Rajasthan need not spend even a single penny on treatment.
Patients who do not have Chiranjeevi cards get treatment under Nirogi Rajasthan scheme free of cost. Government hospitals in Rajasthan have no cash counters for patients from the state.
Since the Chiranjeevi scheme helps hospitals generate funds, the hospitals are also encouraging patients to get their treatment done under this scheme, but many patients are more interested in the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme so that they save the Chiranjeevi scheme coverage, which has now been increased to Rs 25 lakh, for emergency use at private hospitals, said health officials.
The Chiranjeevi scheme is implemented at both government and private hospitals, but the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme is meant only for government hospitals.
“In the state, 90% of the people are now covered under the Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme. But we are witnessing that only 50% of those beneficiaries coming to our hospital are availing themselves of the benefit of the scheme. The rest choose to get treatment under Nirogi Rajasthan. We are encouraging patients to get treatment under the Chiranjeevi scheme. If any patient does not have Chiranjeevi, we help them get registered for it, but we do not deny them treatment. Such patients are provided free treatment under Nirogi Rajasthan,” said SMS Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Achal Sharma.
At private hospitals, too, the beneficiaries of Chiranjeevi scheme get cashless treatment, but not all the treatment packages are available at private hospitals. A lot of packages of diseases are reserved for government hospitals. This is the reason many patients have to go to government hospitals to get the packages available under the Chiranjeevi scheme there, but at government hospitals, most of these patients want to get treated under Nirogi Rajasthan to save their Chiranjeevi coverage for emergency use at private hospitals, said officials.
The government is paying premiums to insurance companies for cashless treatment of people under the Chiranjeevi scheme, but many patients covered under the scheme are found opting for the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme for treatment in government hospitals.
The government, therefore, has to spend twice for such patients—once in the form of premiums to insurance companies under the Chiranjeevi scheme, and then in the form of treatment costs at government hospitals under the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme.
Meanwhile, the government is also paying the bills of treatment of patients who do not have Chiranjeevi cards at government hospitals under the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme.
The government is therefore appealing to patients covered under the Chiranjeevi scheme to get treatment at government hospitals by availing themselves of the benefits of Chiranjeevi scheme and not the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme.
Chiranjeevi scheme is also a source of income for the government hospitals as the treatment cost of patients is paid to them by the insurance companies. In the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme, no such reimbursements are made as the state government itself pays the costs of treatment of the patients to the hospitals.
Since all facilities including OPD, IPD, medicines and tests in government hospitals have been made free of cost, CM Ashok Gehlot has directed the hospitals to ensure that no money should be charged from patients for treatment. The government says Chiranjeevi and Nirogi Rajasthan schemes have been launched to ensure that patients from Rajasthan need not spend even a single penny on treatment.
Patients who do not have Chiranjeevi cards get treatment under Nirogi Rajasthan scheme free of cost. Government hospitals in Rajasthan have no cash counters for patients from the state.
Since the Chiranjeevi scheme helps hospitals generate funds, the hospitals are also encouraging patients to get their treatment done under this scheme, but many patients are more interested in the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme so that they save the Chiranjeevi scheme coverage, which has now been increased to Rs 25 lakh, for emergency use at private hospitals, said health officials.
The Chiranjeevi scheme is implemented at both government and private hospitals, but the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme is meant only for government hospitals.
“In the state, 90% of the people are now covered under the Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme. But we are witnessing that only 50% of those beneficiaries coming to our hospital are availing themselves of the benefit of the scheme. The rest choose to get treatment under Nirogi Rajasthan. We are encouraging patients to get treatment under the Chiranjeevi scheme. If any patient does not have Chiranjeevi, we help them get registered for it, but we do not deny them treatment. Such patients are provided free treatment under Nirogi Rajasthan,” said SMS Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Achal Sharma.
At private hospitals, too, the beneficiaries of Chiranjeevi scheme get cashless treatment, but not all the treatment packages are available at private hospitals. A lot of packages of diseases are reserved for government hospitals. This is the reason many patients have to go to government hospitals to get the packages available under the Chiranjeevi scheme there, but at government hospitals, most of these patients want to get treated under Nirogi Rajasthan to save their Chiranjeevi coverage for emergency use at private hospitals, said officials.
