Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Extend Insurance Coverage To AYUSH: Health Ministry

If the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has its way, the ambit of health insurance will be extended to those availing the Indian System of Medicines.At present, health insurance products offered by both private and public sector insurance firms target only those receiving allopathic treatment. In a bid to promote the Indian System of Medicines, the Health Ministry has requested the Union Finance Ministry to consider health insurance coverage for users of these medicines.

Confirming this, secretary to the Department of AYUSH Anita Das said that it would help a number of people, particularly the elderly, who use the Indian System of Medicines.Keeping in view the increasing elderly population, the AYUSH department now wants to concentrate on improving the health care delivery system for elderly people, and is launching a national campaign on Ayurveda for geriatric care on January 23.As per surveys, by the year 2050 adults older than 65 years will comprise one-fifth of the global population. In India, 3.8 percent of the population is above 65 years of age. According to an estimate, the likely number of elderly people in India by 2016 is around 113 million.

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