The Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, which has won global acclaim for its highly successful healthcare programmes such as Mohalla clinics and online OPD registrations, is refurbishing its health card programme by incorporating its ambitious universal insurance scheme into it and linking it up with an advanced Hospital Management Information System (HMIS).
The card, which was earlier called Aam Admi Health Card, is renamed to Mukhya Mantri Health Card and would be launched later this year. It is expected to benefit 1.8 crore residents of Delhi.
The data available in the modified card would be entered in HMIS and the beneficiary could be able to use it to avail insurance cover under Universal Healthcare Insurance Scheme of Delhi. It will also include a QR code which will enable it to store huge amounts of data.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) had invited expression of interest (EOI) from companies and agencies to design and develop the software for Aadhaar-based verification and issuance of the health card earlier. The card, according to government sources, would ensure that Delhi residents did not lose their medical records — prescriptions and diagnostic test reports — and would not have to carry it to hospitals.
The idea to create an HMIS to integrate all the government hospitals and Mohalla clinics was floated by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a healthcare sector review meeting recently. The plan is to set up a dedicated call centre to facilitate the patients and guide them to nearest hospitals and out-patient departments.
The card-linked insurance scheme is cheered by many non-profits in the health sector. The family insurance scheme was announced by Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, who is also the chairperson of the Society for Universal Healthcare in Delhi, recently. “It is expected to provide a cover of Rs one lakh for most of the illnesses that require hospital admission and up to Rs four lakh for critical illnesses. It’ll substantially reduce residents’ out-of-pocket medical expenses,” a healthcare activist pointed out.
An eight-member society is advising the state government on the insurance plan. Six experts from health insurance, economics, management, entrepreneurs and NGOs are part of the society. According to official sources, the society will digitise the health data of citizens and empanel public and private hospitals, labs and healthcare providers.
But health data digitisation plan leaves many sceptical. “It would be highly problematic if it is collection of medical record data. It could be sold to private companies. Just like Adhaar, the enrolment in the health card would be through a private company and there are privacy implications as they can leak or further use the data,” Co-convener of All India Drugs Action Network (Aidan) Malini Aisola told Pharmabiz.
The health department is also working to provide counselling to cancer patients who cannot be treated to medical intervention and drugs.
With rising incidences of cancer in the country, the Delhi government’s strategy is to bring cancer treatment closer to the houses of patients. The palliative care facility will be available at various government hospitals, dispensaries and Mohalla clinics.
It would be started at five more hospitals shortly. All the doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and technicians will be trained in palliative care. At present, it is available only at AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital.
To initiate the project, the Delhi government has collaborated with AIIMS cancer department and formed a joint committee to frame a policy for treating patients in palliative care.
The state government is also getting ready to launch a 'Good Samaritan' scheme which will provide Rs 2,000 incentive to those who help accident victims reach hospitals. With the plan, the government hopes there will be a reduction in time for an accident victim to reach a hospital.
Though its flagship venture, Mohalla clinics, is praised by one and all, the health department is not resting on its laurels. The government is keen on taking the success story forward with a slew of fresh measures. It will soon set up a five-member managing committee in each Mohalla clinic with 100 volunteers to manage and monitor the work. The volunteers will be given the task of managing the entire work in the clinics at an annual honorarium of Rs 3 lakh. Doctors and support staff at Mohalla clinics are not paid salary but rewarded with fixed incentives.
The government claims that Mohalla clinics provide consultation, diagnostics and medicines for free at a cost to the government of Rs 100 per patient. In contrast, only a consultation at a major government hospital costs the state exchequer more than Rs 1,000.
However, the state government’s pet project is currently going through a rough patch over the allocation of land. The Delhi High Court recently pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and civic bodies over their failure to examine the feasibility of lands proposed for these clinics.
The court warned the DDA of contempt action against its counsel for his inability to tell the court about the location of 245 sites proposed by the AAP government for Mohalla clinics. It also asked the government to adopt a holistic approach while setting up Mohalla clinics, instead of proceeding in piecemeal fashion by first getting land and then trying to recruit staff for these health care centres.
The court was hearing NGO Justice for All’s plea for direction to the authorities to allot adequate number of plots for construction of these clinics with permission to raise the appropriate temporary structures to run them.
The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board and Delhi Metro informed the court that they had identified around 130 sites for which no objection certificate has also been obtained from the authorities. But due to non-availability of land, the plan to set up clinics to provide medical care to every citizen within two kilometres of his or her residence remains stalled. The Lieutenant Governor also received complaints of irregularities about the project which led to a probe by the vigilance department.