india

Updated: Sep 12, 2019 09:31 IST

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Wednesday informed that the state would soon launch a new healthcare scheme on the lines of Ayushman Bharat- the Centre-sponsored healthcare scheme.

Talking to media persons here, Deb said that the scheme- Ayushman Tripura- would cover 3.57 lakh persons. Cards for the beneficiaries would cost the state exchequer around Rs 9 crores.

“All the poor people will be either benefited by Ayushman Bharat scheme or Ayushman Tripura. We are going to introduce it soon. The poor people will not need to pay anything,” said the chief minister.

“Health services will be cheaper for poor people. Our government has made all health services free for Antodaya Annapurna Yojana (AAY) and tariff rates have been reduced by 35% for Priority Group households. And yes, we have hiked tariffs for the Above Poverty Level people or APL. Why shouldn’t they pay for services?” said Deb who also holds the charge of Health Department after sacking of former health minister Sudip Roy Barman.

The state has 1.08 lakh AAY families with 4.70 lakh families from Priority Group Households and 12 lakh families from APL.

Commenting on the recent controversy over revising of tariff rates of different healthcare services, Deb said 51 items in the notification were repeated and the final tariff rates yet to be implemented.

The notification served on September 6, has revised tariff rates of health care services like, oxygen cylinders, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), diagnoses, cabin charges and diet.

Deb said that Thyroid Stimulating Hormones (TSH), Free Tri-orthothyronine (FT3),FT4 etc. among the 51 items repeated in the notification.

“The notification has 337 clinical tests including radiology and pathological diagnostic tests. But the actual figure is only 286. None of the revised tariff rates have been implemented so far. 51 items in the notification were repeated,” Deb said.

According to the notification on revised tariff rates released by the Health and Family Welfare Department on September 6, the APL and Priority Group need to pay Rs. 20 and Rs. 10 for Outdoor Patient Department ( OPD) registration. The amount will be Rs. 30 and Rs. 20 for in-patient registration for APL and Priority Group.

The ICU bed will cost Rs. 300 for Priority Group and AAY patients and Rs. 600 for APL patients per day. The hospital diet will be free for both AAY and Priority Group patients except APL ones who need to pay Rs. 50 per day, as per the notification.

The diagnostic tests has been made free for AAY beneficiaries but will be charged 50% of Central Government Health Scheme ( CGHS) for Priority Group. For APL patients, the diagnostic tests and cancer treatment would be charged at par with CGHS, according to the notification.

Both the oppositions CPM and Congress had organized stirs in the state opposing the notification of revising tariff rates of health services.