MARGAO: As many as 70 people visit the Deen Dayal Swastha Seva Yojana (DDSSY) Kendra at the South Goa Collectorate on a daily basis to register their families under the health scheme under which medical insurance is offered to the entire family. Though the process had been completed last year, many had been left out and are now flocking to the Kendras in Salcete for enrollment.
Goa Electronic Ltd (GEL), which is undertaking the new registrations and renewals across the state, has two DDSSY centres for Salcete, one at the Collectorate and the other at the urban health centre near the Hospicio Hospital. On a daily basis, according to sources at the centre, up to 70 new registration forms are collected.
“New registrations are accepted on a daily basis by filing and submitting Form E. Every day we get anywhere between 60 to 70 people taking Form E and submitting them, either on the same day, or later. Renewals have mostly been completed last year itself, but there are some that come for renewals,” said the source.
According to some people waiting in queue for renewals on Wednesday, they were unaware of the time given last year. “We had got the new card last year in the month of March and we were under the impression that we had to renew it in March only because that was the date mentioned on the card issued to us. We didn’t know that the policy period was till August and the cards had to be renewed before that,” said a woman waiting in queue.
Anticipating this sort of response, the state government had reopened the registration and renewal process till the end of this month. Last year, renewals had started from August 1, 2018 for the policy period of September 1, 2018 to August 31, 2019. But on March 7 this year, the directorate of health services (DHS) again reopened the renewal and enrolment process whihch will continue till March 31 for the policy period of September 1, 2018 to August 31, 2019.
Though the renewal process was done by sending SMSs to the beneficiaries, the scheme this time is being renewed without sending out any SMSs. Beneficiaries can apply for new DDSSY cards by filing up Form E with the necessary details and by attaching aadhar card, proof of residence either using passport, residence certificate, voters ID or driving licence and ration card.
Benefits under the scheme include insurance coverage up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum for a family of three or less members and up to Rs 4 lakh for a family of four and more members. Renewal charges include Rs 200 for a family of 3 and less and Rs 300 for a family of 4 and above.
Besides, a concession of 50 per cent on registration and annual renewal charges is also considered for OBC category of non-creamy layer, SC/ST categories and differently-abled head of families.