Swasthya Sathi Scheme

There is no shortage of multi-specialist private nursing homes in West Bengal. But the treatment cost is beyond the reach of poor people. They depend on the government hospitals. Not all treatments are offered free of cost at these government treatment centers. Individuals, from financially weak backgrounds cannot pay the charges. The West Bengal government has launched a new medical insurance scheme for such people. The beneficiaries of Swasthya Sathi Scheme will attain free treatment at specific hospitals.

Key features of the scheme

• Free of cost treatment for the people – The primary aim of the state government is to offer free of cost treatment to the poor and needy individuals.
• Coverage sum – With the implementation of this scheme, the beneficiaries will receive health insurance coverage of Rs. 5 lakhs.
• Estimated number of beneficiaries – The CM has highlighted that Swasthya Sathi project will help 45 lakh families. It will bring 2.5 crore beneficiaries under the scheme umbrella.
• Bill settlement mode – It has been decided that the bill claims will be settled by Insurance Mode if the patient’s bill is within Rs. 1.5 lakh mark. If the bill amount is more than this, then Assurance Mode will be used to settle the bill claims.
• Insurance agencies roped in for the scheme – Bajaj Allianz insurance company will look after the bill settlement in 18 districts. 5 districts have been placed under the operations of IFFCO TOKYO insurance company.
• Types of treatment centers – The scheme highlights that the medical institutes will come under any of the three categories – A, B and C. The grading will be done according to the treatment facilities they offer. Till date, 500 such medical institutes have been enlisted by the government.
• Paperless and easy – The entire scheme has been designed to be convenient for the beneficiaries. It is also a paperless scheme.
• Smart card – Beneficiaries will receive a Smart Card that will highlight his/her details.
• Premium payment by government – The CM has announced that the premium for the treatment insurance policy will be contributed by the West Bengal government.

Eligibility for the applicants

• Resident of the state – Only legal and permanent inhabitants can register for this project.
• BPL applicant – It is pertinent that the applicant falls in the BPL category. If he/she is registered under RSBY, then the individual can apply.
• Medical and SHG workers – All such members, which are associated with ASHA, ANM and ICDS, will get the perks of this scheme. The same will be applicable to self-help group members.
• Civil volunteers – If any person works as a civil volunteer, then he/she will attain this medical insurance coverage.

Documents necessary for application

• Residential papers – It is important that the applicant produces his/her legal domicile documents.
• BPL certificate – All applicants must furnish their BPL certificates.
• Registration certificate from medical associations and SHGs – The SHG and medical organizations’ registration certificate is necessary.
• Civil volunteer certificate – The candidates needs to submit an authorized document that has been issued by WB government.

How to acquire registration form and enroll for the benefits?

• Offline application mode – The applicants can gather information from the official scheme page that can be reached by clicking on the link Swasthya Sathi Scheme Portal. But the enrollment will take place offline.
• Government hospital in cities – In the interested candidate lives in the city, then he/she must go to the nearest government hospital for application.
• Health centers in villages – The rural residents can complete the registration process at the village medical center.
• Enrollment process – Registration agents will be dispatched who can assist the people with the application process.
• Document verification – The applicant must produce the photocopies and originals of all documents mentioned in the scheme guidelines. The enrollment agent will verify these details.
• Online application form fill-up – The enrollment agent can use his/her computer to login on the state mainframe and fill in the registration form on behalf of the candidate.
• Registration ID generation – As soon as the enrollment form has been filled in and submitted, the site will generate an ID and password for the candidate.
• Official login on the portal – The applicant can officially log in on the scheme site with the ID and password.
• Smart Card issuance – The Swasthya Sathi Smart Card will be generated via the official portal. After logging in, the applicant can acquire this digitized card.

How to check the registration status?

There is no option that can help the applicants to check their registration status. Once the beneficiary list is finalized, the selected applicants will get a notification in their mobiles. It will confirm that they can now acquire the scheme benefits.

How can hospitals register for the scheme?

Hospitals and private treatment centers, which desire to be associated with the scheme, need to login on the official portal. They must click on the “hospital Registration” tab from the option index. It triggers the site to bring up the hospital registration form. The enrollment form must be filled in properly. Then the hospital admin must click on the “Submit” button to save the application.

The admin can also check whether the state government has accepted the hospital’s registration request. By clicking on the “Check Reg. Status” tab, the admin can get access to the application status page. There is a particular field that needs to be filled in with the registered phone number.

Checking the functional hospitals list

Applicants and beneficiaries can easily gather information about the government and private treatment centers, which have enlisted to offer the free treatment. To get the address and contact details of these institutes, the applicant must click on the “Active Hospital List” from the option index.

Acquire information about treatment packages

Interested applicants and beneficiaries can gather information about the medical treatments, which have been included in the scheme. The applicant can click on the link to get to the official website. On the left side of the webpage, you will see an index option. As you scroll down, you will see the option that is marked as “Package Details.” When you click on this tab, you will be redirected to the page where you will find the ailment and treatment package information.

App launched for the scheme

Not all can use the computer and the internet to get details of the medical scheme. But the percentage of smartphone users has increased at a significant rate. These users can operate apps. For better dissemination of scheme related details, the state authority has already developed and launched an app for the health project. You can download the Swasthys Sathi App by clicking on the Swasthya Sathi Scheme App. You can search for the app in Google Play Store with the name. Users need not pay any charges for utilizing this app. For app activation, you need to type in the registered mobile number and Aadhar code. Once the app has been activated, you will get access to the application dashboard and get pertinent information.

The health insurance scheme will assist the poor and vulnerable individuals to attain the necessary medical treatments at good hospitals. The Chief Minister of West Bengal wants to upgrade the health facilities. The launch of this scheme is a potent step towards achieving this target. The CM has also mentioned that the scheme guidelines will be revised in the future as per requirements.