Port Blair, May 14: The Member of Parliament, A&N Islands, Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma has taken up the matter regarding continuation of ANISHI scheme upto 31st December, 2020 for cashless treatment upto Rs.5 lakhs for the Islanders.
Sharma in his letter to the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India, New Delhi stated that in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, only one Government Hospital namely GB Pant Hospital is available for treatment of general diseases and in case of serious diseases such as Cancer, Cardiac, Neuro, Brain Tumour, Accidentals cases etc. such patients are referred to Super Specialty Hospitals at Chennai and Kolkatta under a scheme introduced by the A&N Administration namely “Andaman & Nicobar Islands Scheme for Health Insurance (ANISHI) for cashless treatment upto Rs.5 lakhs (Five lakhs) per patient since 2015. Now the aforesaid scheme of ANISHI has been closed with effect from 31st March, 2020 on introduction of Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
The MP also informed that many hospitals earmarked for treatment under Ayushman Bharat Scheme at Chennai and Kolkatta have already been pre-occupied for the treatment of COVID-19 pandemic, hence it would be difficult for the Islanders to get treatment in the hospitals under Ayushman Bharat scheme for emergency serious medical treatment other than in the Super Specialty Hospitals, which were empanelled under ANISHI scheme upto 31.03.2020.
In order to safeguard the health care of the Islanders, Sharma requested the Union Minister to consider for continuation of operation of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Scheme for Health Insurance (ANISHI) for the Islanders till 31st December 2020 for getting treatment at empanelled Hospitals at Chennai and Kolkatta.