By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, January 24: The Department of Health of the Tibetan government in exile (known officially as the Central Tibetan Administration) today revised the guidelines of one of its major initiatives in the field of health.
The Tibetan administration today conducted a workshop to educated people on the benefits of the Tibetan Medicare System and how best the people can take advantage of the administration’s initiative, that some criticised for its limited coverage.
The Workshop, held at the Tibetan Reception Centre at Khanyara near here, was attended by 52 Settlement Officers, Medical Officers, Executive Secretaries and dealing staff from thirty Tibetan settlements in India.
Tibetan Prime Minister Dr Lobsang Sangay attended the inaugural ceremony of the two-day workshop. Also present were Dr Tsering Wangchuk, Minister of Department of Health; Dranyi Tsegyal, Secretary of Department of Health and Nyima Gylatsen, Program Manager of Tibetan Medicare System.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Dr Lobsang Sangay said that Tibetan Medicare system is a project that would really help poor people facing health issues.
In the past three years, more than 30,000 people have enrolled in the Medicare System and around 1800 have already taken the benefits. The Medicare system has spent around 3 Crore Rupees (30000000) in the past three years.
Sangay expressed his pleasure over the level of cooperation from people to his administration’s initiative.
Minister of Health Dr Tsering Wangchuk said it is everybody’s responsibility to work towards spreading awareness about the Tibetan Medicare system in the future and increase the number of its enrolment.” The Health Department hopes to reach out to 50,000 people.
However, there is no change in benefits and contribution of the Tibetan Medicare System. As per the Medicare System, a family with two to five members will have to pay INR 3565, and an extra INR 713 per year for each additional member to avail cashless benefits up to INR 100,000. This includes the cost of hospitalization, medicines prescribed and bought within one month of discharge from the hospital.
Single families will have to pay INR 950.00 to avail cashless benefits up to INR 50,000 annually for hospitalization expenses at selected hospitals.
