Chennai, August 18: People aged 70 years and above in Tamil Nadu will soon be eligible for free health insurance without any income limit under the new ‘Chief Minister’s Elderly Health Insurance Scheme’, Health Minister KG Arunraj announced on Monday. The scheme is expected to benefit around 38 lakh people and will cover super-speciality treatments, including cancer care, organ transplants and diagnostic services. Beneficiaries can avail of the scheme at government hospitals as well as empanelled private hospitals.
At present, the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) provides coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh for treatments and surgeries and up to Rs 22 lakh for organ transplants. However, eligibility is currently limited to families with an annual income of up to Rs 1.20 lakh. The new scheme will have no such income cap.
The state has also announced free annual health checkups for everyone aged 30 and above under its ‘Nalam 360’ initiative. The ‘Nalam 360-Master Health Check Up’ will include 14 basic tests, covering blood pressure, ECG, haemoglobin, blood sugar, kidney function and cholesterol.
The government has allocated Rs 51 crore for the programme, which will be carried out at government hospitals and health centres across the state. The initiative aims to detect non-communicable diseases early and help prevent complications. The health department will also introduce home-based diagnostic services in corporation areas, allowing health workers to collect samples from beneficiaries’ homes after prior booking.
In another move, the state plans to expand assisted reproductive services by setting up Level I Assisted Reproductive Centres at 31 government medical college hospitals and six district headquarters hospitals at a cost of Rs 14 crore.
