Cabinet approves 1,000-bed hospital in Bengaluru for free organ transplant for poor

Cabinet approves 1,000-bed hospital in Bengaluru for free organ transplant for poor

Why in news :

• The Karnataka government will facilitate setting up a 1,000-bed multi-speciality hospital meant for free organ transplants in collaboration with Azim Premji Foundation in Bengaluru.

Key Highlights

• Purpose: To benefit the poor by establishing a dedicated healthcare facility for free organ transplants (kidney, liver, lungs, and others) and facilitating smooth organ harvesting and transport due to its proximity to NIMHANS.
• Location: The facility will be built on 10 acres of land provided by the government on a 99-year lease, located adjacent to NIMHANS in Bengaluru.
• Investment & Management: The Foundation will invest ₹1,000 crore to set up the facility and is estimated to spend ₹350 crore annually for maintenance. The hospital will be managed by a board that includes three government representatives.
• Capacity & Timeline: A 350-bed facility is scheduled for completion within the next three years, which will be scaled up to a 1,000-bed multi-speciality facility over the next five years.
• Cost Model: Billed as a unique model, 70% of beds will be free, while 30% will be available at a nominal cost (covered under the Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka scheme).
• Current Context & Demand: The initiative addresses the critical backlog of over 5,000 patients awaiting kidney transplants and 1,000+ patients awaiting liver transplants in the State, supplementing the existing liver transplant facilities functioning at the Institute of Gastro Enterology Sciences since 2016.

Additional information

Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka scheme.

• Originally introduced as “Arogya Karnataka” by the Government of Karnataka on March 2, 2018, and later integrated with the Union Government’s Ayushman Bharat on October 30, 2018.
• The scheme is implemented in an “Assurance Mode” by the State Government under the co-branded name “Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka.”

Aim or Objective

• The primary goal is to provide Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to all residents of the State.
• It aims to provide financial protection against the costs of simple secondary, complex secondary, tertiary, and emergency medical procedures.

Benefits

• Eligible Households (BPL and RSBY beneficiaries) receive 100% coverage with a Basic Sum Assured of ₹5,00,000 per family per annum.
• General Households (APL) receive a government subsidy of 30% of the package rate up to a limit of ₹1.5 lakh per family per annum on a co-payment basis.
• Beneficiaries can access emergency procedures directly at any empanelled hospital (public or private) without payment and without needing a referral.

Criteria

• “Eligible Households” are defined as those covered under the NFSA 2013, holding BPL ration cards, or enrolled RSBY beneficiaries.
• “General Households” include residents not defined as eligible households, typically holding APL cards.
• Primary treatments and simple secondary procedures are restricted to Public Health Institutes (PHIs)
• Access to complex secondary and tertiary procedures in private hospitals is conditional upon obtaining a referral from a Public Health Institute.
• Emergency treatment does not require a referral and can be availed at any empanelled hospital.

Features

• The scheme operates on an “Assurance Mode” rather than a traditional insurance model.
• Beneficiaries are issued an AB-ArK Card at PHIs or Citizen Service Centers for a fee of ₹10 (paper) or ₹35 (plastic).
• The Government of India funds 60% of the expenditure for SECC 2011 and RSBY families, while the State Government bears the remaining 40%.
• The Government of Karnataka bears 100% of the cost for all remaining eligible families and provides the subsidy for the 19 lakh APL families not covered by the central scheme.