Health Minister A K Walia said government will now extend the benefit of the Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK) to pensioners who fall within the eligibility criterion of the scheme.
Under the scheme, government provides financial assistance to patients whose annual family income does not exceed Rs two lakh. As per norm an applicant has to be a resident of Delhi for the last three years for availing the benefits of DAK.
Walia said the government has decided to also grant assistance to patients who have already received financial help from other sources like Prime Minister's Relief Fund.
"Such patients can now get the financial assistance if the amount released from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund or other schemes is not enough to meet the expenses," said Walia.
The city government in September last year had set up the Delhi Arogya Kosh with an initial corpus of Rs 10 crore and in her budget speech in May, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had announced hiking it to Rs 110 crore.
The government in August had decided to enhance upper limit of assistance for heart diseases, cancer and kidney diseases to Rs 5 lakh or 100 per cent of the estimated cost of the treatment whichever is less.
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Similarly, upper limit of assistance available for disease requiring kidney transplant, bone-marrow transplant or liver transplant was enhanced from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh or 100 per cent of the estimated cost whichever is less.
Walia said government today sanctioned financial assistance amounting to Rs 26.25 lakh for 15 applicants.
The Health Minister said in the current financial year a total Rs 80 lakh has been released to the applicants.