Lok Sabha Question No. 641 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-04
Subject: Financial Assistance to Poor under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ramesh Chandra Majhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 641 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  FEBRUARY, 2022

## FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO POOR UNDER RASHTRIYA AROGYA NIDHI

## 641. SHRI. RAMESH CHANDRA MAJHI

Will the Minister of Health and Family Welfare be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of norms fixed and the process adopted to provide financial assistance to  poor  patients  under  Rashtriya  Arogya  Nidhi,  cancer  patient  fund  and  other discretionary funds;
- (b) whether the Government has received complaints regarding delay in processing of applications seeking financial assistance under the said funds and death of patients due to the said delay;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  the  corrective  steps  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  to  ensure  timely  action  on  the applications?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

- (a)    The  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  provides  financial  assistance  for treatment  of  poor  patients  suffering  from  identified  life  threatening  diseases  and taking treatment in Government hospitals, under the  Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) and Health Minister's Discretionary Grant.

Rashtriya  Arogya  Nidhi  (RAN):  Under  the  Umbrella  Scheme  of  Rashtriya  Arogya Nidhi, one-time financial assistance upto Rs. 15 lakh is provided to patients belonging to  poor  families  living  below  threshold  poverty  lines  and  suffering  from  major identified life threatening diseases for medical treatment at Government hospitals.

The scheme has three components, namely (i) Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) - to provide financial assistance to patients suffering from life threatening diseases other than  Cancer,  (ii)  Health  Minister's  Cancer  Patients  Fund  (HMCPF)  -  to  provide financial assistance to patients suffering from Cancer; and (iii) Scheme for financial assistance for patients suffering from specified rare diseases. The scheme for financial assistance for patients suffering from specified rare diseases is implemented as per the relevant provisions of National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021.

Guidelines regarding implementation of Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi is available at https://main.mohfw.gov.in/Major-Programmes/poor-patientsfinancialassistance/rashtriya-arogya-nidhi.

Health Minister's Discretionary Grant (HMDG): Under Health Minister's Discretionary Grant (HMDG), financial assistance up to a maximum of Rs. 1.25 lakhs is  provided  to  the  poor  indigent  patients  to  defray  a  part  of  the  expenditure  on hospitalization/treatment in Government  Hospitals for life threatening diseases covered under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) in cases where free medical facilities are  not  available.  Only  those  having  annual  family  income  up  to  Rs.1.25 lakhs  and below are eligible for financial assistance under the scheme.

- (b)  &  (c)  No  complaints  regarding  delay  in  processing  of  applications  seeking financial assistance under the RAN and HMDG Scheme have been received in the last two years.
- (d)  In order to streamline the functioning of RAN and HMDG and to expedite the approvals, Government has launched these schemes on the National Health Authority IT platform.