Mangaluru (The Hindu): Free treatment up to Rs. 25,000 is provided for the first 48 hours at any registered hospital

The Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana (MSHS), providing cashless treatment in the crucial hours after an accident, has catered to 6,100 cases across Karnataka and provided treatment of up to Rs. 13 lakh in the three months after its launch.

While these are considerable numbers, there is still a long way to go to match the need, going by the number of accidents occurring in the State. Emergency response agency GVK EMRI handles about 2,400 cases across the State and around 500 in Bengaluru (Urban and Rural) daily.

Under the scheme, launched on March 9, victims are given cashless medical treatment for the first 48 hours at any registered hospital, up to Rs. 25,000. The scheme was named after Harish Nanjappa, a Bengaluru-based youth who donated his eyes moments before his death.

At the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) office in Shanthinagar, a unit of the Health Department which administers the scheme, the number of beneficiaries under MSHS is updated in real time.

Lists are generated daily to find out beneficiaries in each district and the process of how an accident victim receives treatment during the golden hour is studied on a case-by-case basis, with the aim of plugging loopholes in the system.

430 hospitals covered

Currently, 430 hospitals across Karnataka are part of the scheme, of which 37 are in Bengaluru.

Rohit Metrani, project head of MSHS said, “The speciality of the scheme is that any one is eligible for it, irrespective of their financial ability.” Any amount less than Rs. 5,000 is auto-approved. So far, around 850 cases have been auto-approved.

“Government hospitals in Bengaluru have been doing well, and one of the reasons is that they are incentivised under the scheme,” said Mr. Metrani. Bowring Hospital has received 200 registrations. All government hospitals and hospitals already empanelled for various Health Department programmes are part of the scheme. Private hospitals can register online and are included for compensation once physical verification is complete.

“Since the MSHS scheme started just recently, it has only a few hospitals empanelled. However, it is growing at a tremendous pace and I am confident it will soon cater to most accident victims in the State,” said Abhinav Jairam, State Head of GVK EMRI. The 108 ambulance staff has been informed of the hospitals empanelled under the programme, and SAST is in discussion with GVK EMRI, to include hospitals where more patients are taken.