The Times of India            25.11.2013

Kolhapur Municipal Corporation to seek benefits for its hospital

KOLHAPUR: The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation will send a proposal to the state government, seeking inclusion of the Savitribai Phule City Hospital in the Rajiv Gandhi Jevandayee Arogya Yojana (RGJAY).

The insurance scheme has been launched by the Union health and family welfare ministry in a phase and includes 972 surgeries, therapies and procedures under 30 specialties with 121 follow-up packages for families having yellow and orange ration cards.

The government has already included D Y Patil Hospital at Kasba Bawda and Chhatrapati Pramila Raje Civil Hospital in the scheme and the identification of the beneficiaries is going on at both the health hubs.

KMC health officer Dilip Patil said, "The state government has identified two hospitals in the district as part of the scheme. We will also seek inclusion of the civic body-run Savitribai Phule City Hospital."

He added that the corporators had favoured coverage of the scheme for patients admitted to the hospital. "We have sufficient manpower to handle the patient flow. In a bid to modernize the hospital, we will arrange necessary equipment required for various surgeries," Patil said.

The upper limit for treatment has been fixed at Rs 1.5 lakh, except for kidney transplant (Rs 2.5 lakh). The 58-bed Savitribai Phule Hospital has departments for urology, neurology, plastic surgery, paediatric surgery and onco surgery.