PIB News Update: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides financial assistance for treatment of poor patients suffering from identified life threatening diseases and taking treatment in Government hospitals, under the Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) and Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant.
Under the Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, financial assistance is provided to patients belonging to families living below State/UT-wise threshold poverty lines and who are suffering from major life threatening diseases/cancer/rare diseases, for medical treatment at Government hospitals. Financial assistance upto Rs.15 lakh is provided for eligible patients in the form of ‘one-time grant’ to the Medical Superintendent of the Government hospital where the treatment is being received. The scheme has three components, namely (i) Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) – to provide financial assistance to patients suffering from life threatening diseases other than Cancer, (ii) Health Minister’s Cancer Patients Fund (HMCPF) – to provide financial assistance to patients suffering from Cancer; and (iii) Scheme for financial assistance for patients suffering from specified rare diseases.
Under the Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant (HMDG), a maximum amount of Rs.1,25,000/- is provided to patients whose annual income does not exceed Rs.1,25,000/-, to defray a part of the expenditure on hospitalization/treatment in Government Hospitals.
Financial assistance under the schemes is not released to States/UTs, but to the hospitals where eligible patients receive treatment. Details of funds released under Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi and HMDG during last three years are as under:
| Year | Scheme | Funds released (Rs. in crore) |
| 2016-17 | HMCPF | 20.27 |
| RAN | 25.57 | |
| HMDG | 2.85 | |
| 2017-18 | HMCPF | 8.66 |
| RAN | 44.27 | |
| HMDG | 2.88 | |
| 2018-19 | HMCPF | 10.35 |
| RAN | 48.57 | |
| HMDG | 5.00 |