Question : Financial Assistance to Poor Patients

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) the criteria and procedure fixed for providing financial assistance to the poor patients to meet their medical expenses from the Vivekananda Kosh, Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi and Cancer Patient Fund;

(b) the details of the financial assistance provided to the patients from the said funds separately during the last three years and the current year and the number of beneficiaries, State/UT-wise;

(c) whether the Government has received complaints regarding delay in taking action on applications received seeking assistance from the said funds and deaths of patients due to the said delay;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the remedial steps taken/proposed to be taken for immediate action on applications received in this regard and to check unnecessary delay?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a) to (e): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides financial assistance for treatment of poor patients suffering from identified life threatening diseases and taking treatment in Government hospitals, under the Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is not implementing Vivekananda Kosh.

Under the Umbrella Scheme of RAN financial assistance is provided to patients belonging to families living below State/UT-wise threshold poverty lines and who are suffering from major life threatening diseases/cancer/rare diseases, to receive medical treatment at Government hospitals. Financial assistance upto Rs.15 lakh is provided for eligible patients in the form of ‘one-time grant’ to the Medical Superintendent of the Government hospital where the treatment is being received. The scheme has three components, namely (i) Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) – to provide financial assistance to patients suffering from life threatening diseases other than Cancer, (ii) Health Minister’s Cancer Patients Fund (HMCPF) - to provide financial assistance to patients suffering from Cancer; and (iii) Scheme for financial assistance for patients suffering from specified rare diseases.


Common application form has been prescribed for submission of request for financial assistance under Umbrella Scheme of RAN. The application is required to be submitted to the treating hospitals along with supporting documents regarding income and ration card and recommended by the treating doctor and medical superintendent of the hospital concerned. On receipt of applications complete in all respect, financial assistance is approved within a period of one month.No specific complaint has been received regarding death due to delay in taking action on applications for financial assistance.

In a bid to speed up the assistance to the needy patients, revolving funds have been set up at 14 Government hospitals for RAN and Rare Diseases component and 27 Regional Cancer Centres for HMCPF component. An amount upto Rs. one crore (Rs. two crore in case of AIIMS, New Delhi in case of RAN) is placed at the disposal of hospital with revolving fund. Powers have been delegated to the Medical Superintendent/Director of the hospitals with revolving funds for providing treatment up to Rs. 5 lakh for eligible patients in each case, out of revolving fund.Only cases involving treatment beyond Rs. 5 lakh in hospitals with revolving fund and all the cases for financial assistance from hospitals not having revolving fund are referred to Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India for approval.

Under the Umbrella Scheme of RAN funds are not released to States/UTs, but to the hospitals where eligible patients receive treatment. Details of funds released during last three years are as under :
Year Funds released
(Rs. In crore)
2016-17 45.84
2017-18 52.93
2018-19 58.85
2019-20
(upto 30.11.2019) 47.67

Hospital-wise details of number of patients benefitted under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN)and Health Minister’s Cancer Patients Fund (HMCPF) components of the Umbrella Scheme of RAN during the last three years is at Annexure-I & II respectively.