Committed to helping the pharmacist community to curtail their escalating healthcare costs, the Kerala state pharmacy council has started a scheme of health insurance cover for its registered pharmacists. The plan will benefit the family members of the pharmacists as well.
‘Apart from the pharmacists, the plan would also benefit the members of pharmacy council forums and non-pharmacist proprietors and owners of pharmacies on account of their long experience and association with pharmacy profession”; said B Rajan, president of KSPC.
According to him, this is the first health insurance scheme for registered pharmacists introduced by a state pharmacy council. The scheme has come into effect on April 1 this year and it is implemented through United India Insurance Company which signed an MoU with the pharmacy council in this regard.
While briefing Pharmabiz, Rajan said the premium starts with Rs 2300 for an insured amount of Rs.1 lakh, Rs.2875 for two lakh, Rs.3450 for three lakh, Rs.4025 for four lakh and Rs.4425 for five lakh. The policy has to be renewed every year. The medical stores and the wholesale premises can also be brought under the coverage.
“The enrollment of pharmacists to the scheme had commenced in September last year and we hope that about 50,000 registered pharmacists in the state can avail of the benefit. Within one month’s time, 1500 registered pharmacists have been enrolled into the scheme. Though there are 50,000 pharmacists registered with the Council so far, those renew their registration every year and practice the profession is only 25000. The pharmacists and their family members will come under the scheme”, he said.
He further said the premium for the scheme is very low compared to other health insurance plans available at present. In the scheme, all the diseases including chronic illness will be covered. Maximum age limit for taking policy is 70 years and it is a lifelong scheme. The council proposes to bring all the registered pharmacists under the insurance scheme shortly.
Apart from the insured amount, the benefits include ambulance charge of Rs.2000 in case of emergency and free accessibility of IP rooms, ICU and reimbursement of claims for treatment in non-net work hospitals. Maternity benefit is covered upto Rs.15000 for normal delivery and Rs.25000 for caesarian. Expenses incurred for 30 days before hospitalisation and for 60 days after it are also eligible to be availed through the scheme, said the Council president.