Question : Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi

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

(a) whether Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) has been set up for providing free of cost health facilities to the members of the households living below the poverty line in which the provision of Central and State funds have been made in the ratio of 1:2 and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the number of beneficiaries and amount disbursed from RAN in the last two years in all the States including Andhra Pradesh;

(c) the name of hospitals in Andhra Pradesh eligible to use funds under the scheme;

(d) whether all States including Andhra Pradesh have set up State Illness Assistance Fund and if so, the details thereof including funds released under the State Illness Assistance Fund; and

(e) whether the Government plans to increase the coverage in the near future and if so, the details thereof?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(ANUPRIYA PATEL)
(a): The Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi has been set up for providing for financial assistance to patients, living below poverty line who are suffering from major life threatening diseases, to receive medical treatment at any of the super specialty Govt. hospitals / institutes or other Govt. hospitals. All State Governments/UT Administrations have been advised to set up an Illness Assistance Fund in their respective States/UTs. The Grant-in-aid to States/UTs is released to the extent of 50% of the contributions made by the State Governments/UTs subject to a maximum of Rs. 5 crore to States with larger number and percentage of population below poverty line viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar etc. and Rs. 2 crore to other States/UTs. Financial assistance from State Illness Assistance Funds is available up to Rs. 1.50 lakh in an individual case for patients living in their respective States/UTs and where the quantum of financial assistance is likely to exceeds Rs. 1.50 lakh, all such cases are to be forwarded to Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN).
Contd……..


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(b): The details of number of beneficiaries and amount disbursed from RAN headquarters in the last two years i.e. 2014-15 & 2015-16 is at Annexure-I.

(c): All the Government hospitals in Andhra Pradesh are eligible to avail assistance under the RAN scheme.

(d): All the states except Nagaland and Meghalaya have set up State Illness Assistance Funds under the RAN scheme. The details of funds released under SIAF during 2014-15 and 2015-16 is at Annexure-II.

(e): The State wise income eligibility criteria for Rural and Urban Areas for purposes of assistance under RAN have been revised, with effect from 1st July, 2016.