Kolkata, 01 September (H.S.) :

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday announced a major healthcare benefit for journalists and their families, saying they would be eligible for cashless treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh at around 38,000 government and private hospitals across the country under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana.

The Chief Minister said the scheme would cover several leading medical institutions, including AIIMS, Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, Tata Cancer Hospital in Mumbai, PGIMER Chandigarh and Dr Reddy’s Hospital in Hyderabad.

Within West Bengal, the facility would be available at around 1,900 government and private hospitals. Eligible journalists and their family members would also be able to avail themselves of cashless treatment at hospitals covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme across the country.

Adhikari said journalists and their family members who are not eligible for Ayushman Bharat due to specified conditions or age-related criteria would be brought directly under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana.

He clarified that no political or ministerial recommendation would be required to avail the benefits. Eligibility would be determined strictly on the basis of the prescribed criteria.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh