Karunya fund: 'Benefits stay, names change'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health minister K K Shailaja said the government will have to integrate all the health insurance schemes existing in the state once the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi is rolled out. This will mean that the present Karunya scheme will also have to be integrated under the new insurance scheme which will come into existence from April 1.
Reacting to opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala's allegations that the government was going to stop the much-benefited scheme, the minister said there is no point in creating controversies. Even if the Karunya Benovelent Fund (KBF) is replaced, the same set of people would receive the same benefits under the new scheme.

The government is aiming at providing health insurance to the maximum number of people. Now, as per the guidelines issued by the Centre, all the insurance schemes will have to integrated under Ayushman Bharat scheme. But the state decided to modify this Centrally-sponsored scheme and launch a state's-own insurance scheme since the Ayushman Bharat will not cover the entire present beneficiaries under the various schemes.

"Ayushman Bharat will cover only 18% of the population. But the new scheme designed by the state will cover 40% of the population. The people are going to only benefit with this. If at all the names are changed the benefits will remain," said the minister.