Madhya Pradesh Government Introduces Insurance Plan for Medical Students

Bhopal: Taking the first step in the country to shield the health-related expenditures of medical students, the Madhya Pradesh Government has introduced an insurance plan of Rs 2 lakh for all those pursuing MBBS, super-specialization, PG Medical, dental, and physiotherapy courses at the State-run medical colleges.

With this, almost 15,000 medical students across the State would get a financial shield in case they fall ill.

An announcement to this effect was made on Friday by the Minister for Medical Education of the State, Shri Vishwas Sarang. Accordingly, the Medical Education Department has directed all the 13 government and autonomous medical and dental colleges to take necessary measures to ensure that the students would be insured at the time of admission.

As per the scheme, all the medical and dental students, aged between 18 to 35 years, would receive a cashless insurance shield of Rs. 2 lakh. The students are to get accidental or disability cover of Rs 10 lakh as well.

The order, in this regard, specifies that not only MBBS students, but those pursuing super-specialization, PG, dental, and physiotherapy courses will also be insured at the time of admission, adding that the colleges and autonomous bodies will bear the premium from their own resources, and the government won't provide any subsidy for this.

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Under this new scheme, the medical students would get a cashless card facility for the mediclaim by a few select insurance companies. Using the card, the students would be able to bear the expenses for their treatment and tests at any government or private hospitals of the country, reports Divya Bharat.

As per a recent media report by the Times of India, the move by the Madhya Pradesh government has come after a Junior doctor succumbed to Covid-19 in November last year. The report had earlier mentioned that the 26-year-old doctor, Dr. Shubham Upadhyaya, who treated COVID-19 patients as a medical officer in the Government Bundelkhand Medical College in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar, succumbed to the dreaded virus at a private hospital. His lungs had been 100 percent infected and he had been undergoing treatment since November 10.

Also Read: MP: Bundelkhand Medical College doctor dies of COVID19, CM condoles death

Since then, the demand for medical insurance had been a long-standing demand of students and teachers of the State, adds the daily.

While commenting on the decision of providing health insurance to medical students, Minister Sarang told the Free Press Journal, "Students of medical colleges, dental colleges, and paramedical colleges of the age group of 18 years to 35 years will be given the benefit of health insurance and accidental insurance. The medical claim will be up to Rs 2 lakh and Rs 10 lakh will be given in case of death. There is a provision of Rs 5 lakh in case of disability."

He further added, "Students will be given cashless cards, on the basis of which they can approach any government, as well as a private, hospital for their treatment. If students have a history of any disease, it'll also be covered in the mediclaim. Parents will not have to bear any financial burden on their wards' insurance."