DHAKA: Bangladesh government will introduce a Tk 50,000 health insurance to facilitate healthcare for the poor from January.

‘From January next year, the health insurance will be formally initiated as pilot project,’ said Health Minister Mohammed Nasim at signing ceremony of deal regarding the matter.

Health and Family Planning Ministry and Green Delta Insurance Company signed the agreement at the conference room of the ministry in city on Sunday.

The minister said, ‘From January, health card will be distributed among one lakh poor families in three upazilas of Tangail. The health card holders will get treatment of 50 diseases at cost of Tk50,000.

Under health care program of the government, health card project has taken for poor aimed at ensuring heath care for all, said people concerned.

Primarily, the service will be introduced in Kalihati, Madhupur and Ghatail upazilas of Tangail of Dhaka division. After reviewing the experience of the pilot project, the service will be expanded in phases, Mohammed Nasim added.

He said that initially, the government will pay premium of the insurance for poor families. But at one stage, it will be made mandatory for every solvent families to pay premium of the health insurance.

When asked, Green Delta officers said the government will provide the facility to 25 percent people using account of the Planning Ministry.

They also hoped that whole nation will be brought under the facility by 2032.

BDST: 1500 HRS, DEC 20, 2015
RS/SMS