MALAPPURAM: An ultimate solution to the stray dog menace in the state is nowhere to be seen. But a municipality in the district has come up with a free insurance scheme which would cover treatment cost of their attacks. From January 2017, around 50,000 residents of Perinthalmanna Municipality would get the benefit of the insurance cover, a first of its kind in the state, in association with EMS Cooperative Hospital and the New India Insurance.
Any resident in the municipal limit attacked by animals including stray dogs who are seeking treatment at EMS Hospital would get the benefit. Treatments cost up to Rs 10,000 would be provided for free. The beneficiaries will have to produce a valid resident certificate to prove permanent residential status. Injuries suffered beyond the municipal limits will also be considered for insurance protection. Besides this, it has a Rs 1 lakh cover for accidental deaths, which is also applicable to those who die in road accidents.
“The municipality and the hospital would bear the cost of the minimum premium of the insurance scheme for the residents. New India is the only company that quoted an affordable premium amount of '10. So we have decided to go ahead with the scheme,” said M. Mohammed Saleem, the municipal chairperson. The insurance cover will be for a year. “The extension of the scheme will be decided after assessing the success rate later,” he said.
