To protect families from the financial burden of high medical charges from insurance companies as well as hospitals, Dr Devi Shetty’s Narayana Health has rolled out a new health plan called ’Aditi’. People do not have the means to undergo even bellwether procedures (caesarean delivery, laparotomy and treatment of open fracture), said Dr Devi Shetty, chairman of Narayana Health. He highlighted the fact of the financial burden stopping people from getting critical care by explaining the dire situation with the help of statistics. He said that in India, there is a need for 70 million surgeries, but only 20 million are being performed. He averred that Aditi plan would help bridge this whopping gap.
According to Ravi Viswanath, director of Narayana Health Insurance Ltd, “The insured are covered to the extent of Rs 5 lakh in treatment and Rs 1 crore in surgeries. Traditional insurance companies charge anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 48,000 for the same,” added Viswanath. It will cover a family of four.
Highlighting the surgery procedure coverage, Dr Shetty, during the launch of the product, hoped that, India will usher in a strategic shift where quality health care will not only mean strengthening infrastructure and access to malaria, TB and HIV but also surgical procedures, PTI reported.
Saying that the idea behind Aditi is to offer health insurance to everybody, Dr Shetty added. “We are not going to say no to anyone who wants insurance, irrespective of their medical conditions.”
However, Aditi will not be available across India. The health plan is to be introduced as a pilot project in Mysuru, Mandya and Chamraj Nagar, but it is likely to be launched in Bengaluru within weeks.
The pan-India plans are also there, but it will depend on how the pilot project goes in a restricted region first. “We are going to see how this pans out, before taking it across India,” said Viren Prasad Shetty, vice-chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya Ltd.
Elective procedures will be restricted to Narayana Health, but in emergencies, treatment can be undertaken anywhere, said Prasad.
Narayana Health’s new Aditi health plan covers the insured to the extent of Rs 5 lakh in treatment and Rs 1 crore in surgeries. Personal Finance Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
