Aug 15 : Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Wednesday launched ‘Rajiv Arogyasri’, a scheme aimed at providing emergency health services, health advice over the phone and medical insurance to the poor.

Kalam dedicated 108, a free emergency medical response number, to the people of the state. The toll free number, run by the Emergency Medical Research Institute (EMRI) of software firm Satyam Computers for the last two years, will now be run by the state government in a public-private partnership.

The toll free number 1056 of EMRI to provide health related advice over phone has now become 104. Anybody can get advice on health related problems through these numbers.

Satyam Foundation will continue to provide technical assistance for 108 and 104 services while the government will bear 95 percent of the recurring expenditure. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the state government and EMRI in this regard.

Under ‘Rajiv Arogyasri’, the government has integrated the two phone services with a health insurance scheme for the poor, currently being implemented in three backward districts of Mahabubnagar, Srikakulam and Anantapur.

Kalam had a word of praise for EMRI for saving 14,000 lives through their services. EMRI, which currently has 380 ambulances in the state, plans to have 122 more.

The former president advised EMRI to extend the helpline number 104 to other states. He suggested various models of public-private partnership to take the two services to other parts of the country.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy said services of 55,000 health volunteers would be taken for the 104 facility. He said the health insurance scheme would soon be extended to four to five other districts and later to all 23 districts in a phased manner.

Under the scheme, the government is issuing health cards to poor families that would enable the beneficiaries to utilise medical facilities in speciality hospitals up to a sum of Rs.200,000 at the state’s cost.(IANS)