Bhubaneswar: In a responsive move to public demand, the Odisha State Government has decided to extend the deadline for online registration of applications for the BSKY Nabin Card. The last date for registration, originally set for January 16th, has now been extended to January 26th. This decision comes after careful consideration of the people’s needs and to ensure maximum participation in this transformative health assurance initiative.
Smt. Shalini Pandit, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, and Chairman of the State Health Assurance Society, officially announced the extension through a notification.
“Sustha Odisha, Sukhi Odisha” has been the guiding principle behind all health sector interventions in Odisha. It has been my dream to provide universal health coverage to the people of Odisha, where healthcare is a right accessible and affordable by all. To take this vision forward, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) was launched five years ago, revolutionizing health assurance in Odisha.
In the first phase, all services in public health facilities were made free of cost for all individuals, regardless of income or residence.
The second phase introduced cashless healthcare in private health facilities for all ration card holders.
Under BSKY, over 45 lakh persons receive free healthcare at public health facilities each month, while 1.3 lakh persons receive cashless care, amounting to Rs. 260 crores monthly in empanelled private hospitals.
In the past five years, BSKY has provided nearly 21 lakh patients with cashless healthcare, totaling about Rs 4,500 crores in private hospitals alone.
With the third phase, BSKY is expanding coverage to all left-out families in rural areas. All rural families in Odisha, except regular government employees and income tax payees, will be eligible to receive the “BSKY Nabin Card.” This will entitle them to cashless care of Rs. 5 lakh per annum (up to 10 lakh for women members) in empanelled private hospitals for identified critical illnesses.
This expansion aims to cover over 1.10 crore families, nearly 90% of the state’s population, providing health assurance and ensuring no family is left vulnerable due to financial constraints for critical illnesses.
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