Over Rs39 crore have been disbursed towards medical expenditure in the last three years
CMCHIS beneficiary Suji with her parents. -DC
Krishnagiri: Suji (5) was falling sick often. Her worried father, M. Chinnasamy (32), a cook at Sithankottai, in Poochampalli taluk, took her to a private hospital where she was diagnosed with a hole in the heart. Her family was heart-broken. Without Rs 2 lakh for the surgery, Suji’s chances of survival were dim. “There was no way I could mobilise Rs2 lakh. That’s when the Chief Minister’s comprehensive health insurance scheme came to our rescue,” said Chinnasamy.
The Chief Minister’s comprehensive health insurance scheme has saved the lives of 7,210 people in Krishnagiri and over Rs39 crore have been disbursed towards medical expenditure in the last three years, said Krishnagiri collector T.P. Rajesh. With the free insurance cover given by the Tamil Nadu government, many poor patients in Krishnagiri go to neighbouring Bengaluru to get surgeries done.
Take the case of G. Arivudainambi, 30, a farmer from Mahadevakollaihalli village, near Krishnagiri. In June 2014, he was rushed to the hospital after he complained of chest pain. He had suffered a cardiac arrest earlier and was in need of immediate medical attention. “I was very worried after doctors said my husband had suffered a cardiac arrest for the second time. He underwent open heart surgery in Bengaluru costing more than Rs1.5 lakh with the Chief Minister’s insurance scheme,” his wife Arivazhagi said.
The expensive surgeries for Suji and Arivudainambi were done at zero cost in plush private hospitals as they availed of insurance cover. Collector Rajesh said families with annual income below Rs 72,000 are eligible for the coverage under the CMCHIS that provides cashless medical facilities.The overall limit for the insured family is Rs1 lakh and this has been increased to Rs 1.50 lakh in special cases.
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