AWARENESS ON ODISHA GOVT’S BSKY SCHEME WILL GIVE MORE BENEFITS TO BENEFICIARIES: SURVEY REPORT

By Sukanta Kumar Mohanty

Bhubaneswar: Sept. 11: Inclusion of eligible beneficiaries in “Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) and greater awareness about the scheme, especially among rural communities, will bolster the Odisha government’s own flagship health insurance programme, revealed a joint study conducted by some leading development agencies.

BSKY aims at providing universal health coverage. It lays special emphasis on the health protection of economically vulnerable families. The online study titled “Implementation of BSKY Scheme in Odisha” was conducted by Atmashakti Trust and its allies Odisha Shramajeebee Mancha and Mahila Shramajeebee Mancha, Odisha.

Conducted between July and August 2022, the study covered 12 districts such as Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Bolangir, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, and Mayurbhanj. These districts have sizeable numbers of tribal and dalit populations.

The study revealed that almost 13.8 per cent BSKY card holders have already received health services.

Of the 20,128 respondents who participated in this survey, 9.5 per cent of them said that their smart cards still remained at the gram panchayat (GP) offices.

“At least 7 per cent respondents have said that they do not have any information on where to go to receive the card and who will issue the card to them. Also, 3.5 per cent respondents have alleged that local authorities forced them to pay a bribe to get the BSKY card,” the study said.

The survey report revealed that though families still have BSKY cards, 24.2 per cent of the people are facing issues in availing of the services.

“As many as 33.3 per cent of the respondents said that they are not able to avail benefits under the scheme on time whereas others complained that hospitals are not extending services even though they have a health card.  Similarly, while 17.8 per cent of respondents informed that they do not have time to avail the services due to some specific reasons, 37.5 per cent of them have admitted that they do not have proper information and awareness on how to use services under the scheme,” the report said.