Critical illness of children studying in Government schools will now be covered under School Health Programme. Disclosing this here today, Principal Secretary, Health, Shri Ali R Rizvi said that the cost incurred for investigation and treatment of critical illness or rehabilitation of any disability would be booked under the School Health Programme.
Shri Rizvi said that all the children upto 12th standard of Government schools other than children of serving or retired State/Centre Government employees or employees of the State/ Central PSUs would be covered under the programme. Besides, in case of emergency/school holidays, the doctor of the Government Health Institution can issue a temporary certificate that the child was studying in the Government school and later to be revalidated by the Principal or Headmaster of the school consequently, he added.
Principal Secretary said that eight categories of defects at birth, thirteen diseases of childhood, six deficiencies and eleven development delays and disabilities would be covered under the programme. He said that entire cost of secondary/ tertiary care treatment for such diseases would be met, if the treatment was done in Indira Gandhi Medical Collage, Shimla or at Dr. Rajindera Prasad Medical College, Tanda.
Shri Rizvi said that for any treatment, if needed, 50 percent advance may be given on the basis of cost estimation submitted by the Government institutions or Private empanelled institutions along with identification of the intervention required. The reimbursement and advances for treatment shall be sanctioned by the Chief Medical Officer of the district. He said that if the child belongs to a family which falls under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) then the first charge on cost of the treatment would be on the RSBY and School Health Programme would supplement RSBY cover. He said that in case of malignancy treatment, the cost may also be covered under the Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) Programme in Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul & Spiti districts or under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi which was available with medical colleges only for BPL families.