The Cabinet has approved a comprehensive medical insurance scheme for State government employees, pensioners, family pensioners and their dependents for a nominal monthly premium of ₹500.
Many empanelled government and private sector hospitals would provide cash-free treatment to the beneficiaries of the scheme (Medisep).
The Medisep scheme would not apply to outpatient treatment. The government would compensate OP charges as per the provisions of the Kerala Government Servant Medical Attendant rules. The compensation would apply to those frequenting OP clinics at the RCC, Malabar Cancer Centre, Kochi Cancer Centre and super specialty hospitals in the private sector.
Medisep provided an annual insurance coverage of up to ₹3 lakh. If not used, Medisep would transfer ₹1.5 lakh of the policy coverage to the following year.
Nodal cell
The government has tasked Oriental Insurance, a public sector company, to implement the scheme. The Cabinet formed a nodal cell under the Finance Department to implement the project. It would create a three-tier system at the district and State level to settle insurance-claim related disputes.
The project also entails cash-free treatment for existing and chronic conditions and complete coverage for developing health exigencies.
The Cabinet has made it mandatory for serving employees and pensioners to subscribe to the scheme, Medisep. The Cabinet also mandated that part-time contingent workers, aided school teachers, non-teaching staff and recipients of family pension should compulsorily join Medisep. Civil servants and their families have the option of joining the insurance scheme.
Serving and retired employees of public-funded universities, family pensioners in universities, employees, pensioners and family pensioners of local self governments, serving and retired personal staff of Chief Minister, Ministers and Leader of the Opposition, and chairpersons of finance committees are also among beneficiaries. Their dependants would also benefit from the scheme.
Rail doubling
The Cabinet has appointed two special tahsildars to expedite land acquisition to double the second and third phases of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari railway line.
