Chennai Corporation hospitals to accept government insurance card

Chennai: In a move to make the Chennai corporation hospitals self-sustainable and provide a range of free treatment to the downtrodden of the city, the Greater Chennai Corporation has initiated the steps to empanel its hospital under ‘Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme’. According to the Chennai corporation officials, the decision to empanel the Urban Community Health Centres (UCHC), Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals (GCMH) and Communicable Diseases Hospital (CDH) under the insurance scheme was taken during a meeting with the Mission Director if National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), recently.

“The decision will improve the quality of all the hospitals and make them self-sustainable by generating revenues. The move will also reduce the financial burden of Chennai corporation in running the hospitals,” the officials said. 

The Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme covers a total of 1,016 procedures including 23 diagnostic procedures and 113 follow up packages. The scheme also helps the poor patients in getting free medical care at most of the top private hospitals.

 The officials also added that the taluk hospitals and Block hospitals in the rural districts are already empanelled under the scheme. “Deputy commissioner (health) and city medical officer will coordinate with the National Health Mission director and TNHSP project director to complete the empanelment process and ensure the successful functioning of the Chennai corporation hospitals. 

These hospitals will treat the patients under the scheme very soon,” the officials said. The Greater Chennai Corporation has been operating 138 Urban Community Health Centres and a Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet. 

Meanwhile, Chennai has three GCMHs. After the empanelment of the Chennai corporation hospitals under the scheme would entitle the patients or their family members of expenses incurred by them.