Poor to get rebate on transplants

In a couple of months, Delhiites earning up to Rs 2 lakh a year will get a substantial rebate on life-saving transplant surgeries and cost of treatment. Rhythma Kaul reports.

In a couple of months, Delhiites earning up to Rs 2 lakh a year will get a substantial rebate on life-saving transplant surgeries and cost of treatment.

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State health minister Dr AK Walia said the Delhi government has created a corpus fund to provide relief to thousands of families who cannot afford the exorbitant cost of transplant surgeries and medicines needed thereafter. The fund is part of the Delhi Arogya Kosh.

"The chief minister expanded the scope of Delhi Arogya Nidhi, which was created some time back to fund the treatment of poor in our hospitals, to life-saving surgeries that cost above R15 lakh. We have created a Rs 100-crore fund for this and treatment for all life-threatening diseases will be included," Walia said.

The minister was attending an event at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences on World Hepatitis Day.

Under the plan, Rs 5 lakh will be assigned to people undergoing treatment in a government hospital and Rs 3 lakh will be given to private hospital patients.

"Initially, we are looking at funding liver, kidney, bone marrow, heart transplant and joint replacement surgeries that are expensive and also dialysis sessions," said Walia.