Jaya insurance scheme a boon to govt hospitals

Chennai: The CM’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) that has been in operation since 2012 is now turning out to be a boon for government hospitals in the city as they not only pr­ocure the latest equipment, but also use it for infr­a­st­ructure development of hospitals.

Five hospitals, attached to the Madras Medical Co­llege — Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hos­pital, Institute of Child He­a­lth and Hospital for Chil­dren, Egmore, Institute of Obstetrics and Gyna­eco­logy and Government Hos­pital for Women and Chil­dren, Egmore, Gove­rnment Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Chi­ldren and Regional Institute of Ophtha­lmo­logy and Government Opht­halmic Hospital, have generated nearly Rs 75 crore through the insurance.

Dean of MMC Dr V. Kana­gasabai says that of the total amount, Rs 10 crore has been used to purchase equ­i­pment, such as operating microscope for use in neurosurgery (Rs 1.5 crore), dialysis machines and anesthesia work stations am­ong others.

“We have placed an order for Fibr­oscan, a new instrument that utilises a form of ultrasonography to measure the stiffness of the liver without entering it. The instrument costs nearly Rs 1.5 crore. Thanks to the CM’s insurance we can serve patients better with the latest equipment,” he said.

Nearly 821 hospitals are part of this scheme out of which 120 are government hospitals. Every member of a family whose annual income is less than Rs 72,000 as certified by VAO is eligible for free medical and surgical treatment in government and private hospitals. Of the total amount generated, hospitals use 15 per cent for incentives to staff.

The Government Stanley Medical College and Hos­pital, with an inflow of 8,000 out patients a day, has generated about Rs 26 crore through the insurance. Hospital dean Dr S. Geet­ha­lakshmi said that they used the amount for purchasing various equipment, drugs and also for the cleanliness of the hospital.

Government Royapettah Hospital has so far generated Rs 12 crore, and Gove­rnment Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, with an amount of nearly Rs 11.5 crore, uses 50 per cent of it for procuring equipment, such as pulse oxymeters and implants, among other items.