Editorial | Health Card was much needed

Certain things throw an individual’s life out of gear. Not just an individual, but an entire family is ruined. One such thing is health. In case some sinister ailment struck, it announced the ruin. The treatment available in the government run hospitals is not enough to address all the ailments. Even if the machinery and human resource in the government run hospitals are upgraded to the level of the finest hospitals in the world, it can still not do the job. For a vast ocean of people these hospitals fall way short of what is required. So there is always a space, and a huge one, for the private healthcare institutions. But the problem with the private healthcare is the price one has to pay to get treated there. Not to speak of the poor sections of society, even the middle class can not afford the treatment in the private segment. So where do these people go in case there is no space in government hospitals.

Here the modern institution of insurance comes in. Those who could buy a health insurance policy did avail high end treatment in private hospitals. But buying such a policy is not affordable for all. In fact most of the people in this part of the globe are without any health insurance policy. Even those who go for insurance policies, buy it for the sake of future savings. Health cover is not a priority. So there is a huge number of families that are completely devastated in case some serious ailment strikes any member. Looked at in this background the decision to issue health cards that will insure a family for a treatment upto 5 lacs is a big relief to those ordinary families who would live in a state of uncertainty. The concerned departments should ensure that the process of giving these health cards is made as easy as possible. It must be ensured that none is left out. The benefits of this scheme must reach one and all. It should also be ensured that this mass health insurance doesn’t dent the government healthcare system where the treatment is provided free of cost.

   

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