Aizawl: Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Thursday said that the implementation of the state healthcare scheme is one of the government’s top priorities under the state’s flagship programme Socio-Economic Development Policy (SEDP).
He informed the state assembly that his government has so far allocated about Rs.150 crore under SEDP for the implementation of the healthcare scheme during five financial years from 2019.
Replying to a question from opposition Congress leader Zodintluanga Ralte, Zoramthanga, who also holds the planning and programme implementation portfolio, said that under the flagship programme, the government allocated Rs 10 crore in 2020-21, Rs 10 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 20 crore in 2022-23 fiscals for the implementation of Mizoram State Health Care Scheme (MSHCS).
Rs 50 each was also allocated under SEDP in the fiscal 2019-20 and the new financial year 2023-24 for the implementation of the healthcare scheme, he said.
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Zoramthanga also said that the government has also sought Rs. 1,000 crore loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the implementation of the healthcare scheme.
The proposal for loan has been already approved by the Centre, which would repay Rs 720 crore out of the total amount, while the state government would repay the remaining Rs 280 crore, he said.
The MSHCS was launched by the Mizo National Front (MNF) government headed by Zoramthanga in October 2019.
Under this scheme, the government provides health cover of up to Rs 2 each to beneficiaries in a year.
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The Zoramthanga government has come under severe attack by opposition parties due to its failure to release medical bills to beneficiaries for more than a year.
On Tuesday, health minister Dr R. Lalthangliana informed the assembly that the government is yet to clear medical bills amounting to over Rs. 66.2 crore to 23,421 beneficiaries.
The medical bills are pending release since October 2021, he had said.