Awaz Health Insurance Scheme by Kerala Government

In the field of medicine, we see a lot of innovations and at an impressive rate as well. And such innovations are more than welcome since they improve the quality of healthcare or improve efficiency in some way or the other. These medical advancements could either be for medical instruments, surgeries, or medicines. However, they all come at a cost and the patients must bear this.

Improvements to the infrastructure, facilities, hospitalisation, medications, etc. all result in slightly higher cost of treatment. Fortunately, various governments realise the impact that these improvements can have on the patients. To ensure that people are not burdened with the growing medical expenses and that they have access to quality healthcare, governments usually come up with schemes. The Awaz Health Insurance scheme by the Kerala government is one gleaming example of the same.

Awaz health insurance scheme was introduced by the Kerala government to provide health insurance for its migrant workers. Unlike a lot of other schemes that are aimed at providing benefits or relief for its residents, the Awaz health insurance scheme stands out, as it is for migrant workers in the state.

Awaz health insurance scheme for migrant workers provides health insurance cover and accidental death cover for migrant workers who work in Kerala. The scheme was introduced in November 2017 but it was open for registration in December 2017 for the migrant workers.

There are a lot of migrant workers in Kerala. And the Kerala government intends to offer healthcare to all of them via the Awaz health insurance scheme. The scheme is set to help more than 5 lakh inter-state migrant workers who are presently in Kerala.

Any migrant worker, who wants to protect his or her family against the financial pitfalls of a medical emergency can buy this scheme. Under this scheme, beneficiaries are entitled to receive free medical care across all the government hospitals in the state. The beneficiaries can also receive treatment in some of the empanelled private hospitals without having to worry about the expenses.

When someone enrols for the Awaz health insurance scheme, here is all that they can expect as coverage of the scheme.

• Medical treatment of any type of injuries or illnesses amounting up to INR 15,000.
• The scheme offers accidental death benefits of up to INR 2 lakh. In the unfortunate event of the death of a migrant worker, their dependents or beneficiaries can claim to receive death benefits by providing adequate proof of death.

The government of Kerala has set some eligibility criteria for migrant workers to avail of the scheme and its benefits. Here are the eligibility criteria for the scheme.

• The migrant worker must be between 18 and 60 years of age.
• During the enrolment process, the migrant workers must provide their fingerprint, iris and details of work or any work-related proof. The insurance card will only be issued if all these documents are submitted.
• The applicant for the scheme must provide an identification card that is issued either by the central government or by the government of Kerala. Documents such as Aadhar card, Voter ID card, Driving License, etc. are valid proof. These must be submitted along with the application form during the enrolment process.
• Migrant workers working in sectors such as footwear, hotels and other industries can enrol for the scheme and start benefiting from the same.

The government of Kerala has managed to pack the Awaz health insurance scheme with quite a few features and benefits for the migrant workers. Here are some of the salient features of the scheme that you should be aware of, before enrolling or letting anyone else know about the enrolment.

• The scheme went through a primary data collection phase, that was concluded in December 2017. The scheme underwent a trial run and the enrolment for that started on the 1st of June 2018.
• The labour officers of respective districts were entirely responsible for the enrolment process of the Awaz health insurance scheme.
• According to official records and data that was collected in the year 2013, Kerala is home to more than 25 lakh migrant workers. And approximately 2.35 lakh migrant workers come to the state every single year.
• You can come across advertisements for the health insurance scheme across the state in different languages such as Odia, Bengali and Hindi.
• Kerala has created several registration camps across 200 locations in the state. The intention of creating these camps is to identify migrant workers and ensure that they receive coverage of the scheme.
• According to the data available with the government, the health condition of migrant workers is a major concern. There are a few ailments that returned to the state due to migrant workers such as malaria. Thus, proactively providing the workers with health insurance will ensure that they have access to health care and that their ailments are in control.
• The Kerala government has gone to lengths to ensure that the scheme is simple to follow and is rolled out efficiently. They have introduced several redressed cells across the state to ensure that concerns and issues with respect to the scheme are brought to light.
• As a part of the scheme, the government issues a smart card. The smart card for Awaz health insurance scheme holds the name, and photo of the migrant worker along with the local address of the nominee of the insured.

Those who wish to enrol for the Awaz health insurance scheme would need to furnish some information during the enrolment process. Here are all the details that you must enter in your enrolment form.

• Aadhar number
• Name of the applicant or migrant worker
• Age of the applicant of the scheme
• Marital status of the applicant
• Phone number
• The local address of the migrant worker
• Mother tongue
• Total work experience in Kerala down to years and months
• Languages that the migrant worker knows
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Name of spouse
• Name of children (name of their school if they are studying in Kerala)
• Bank account number
• Name of the bank
• IFSC code of the branch
• Name of the branch
• The type of job that the worker is involved with
• Designation of the migrant worker
• Type of wage of the worker (daily/weekly/monthly)
• Wage
• Current working state (working or not working)
• Additional documents such as Ration card, Voter ID, etc.

Also, it is essential to know that the policy is available free of cost. The migrant workers need not pay any amount as the policy premium.

The process of claiming the Awaz health insurance scheme for migrant workers is fairly straightforward. The insured can visit any of the network hospitals in the state. The network hospitals comprise all the government hospitals along with a few empanelled private hospitals.

The migrant workers can visit these hospitals and seek medical treatment for their condition. They would need to furnish their biometric health card. Once the hospital authorities have access to the smart card, they will ensure that the workers get cashless treatment at the hospitals.

As of March 2022, 5.13 lakh migrant workers have enrolled in the Awaz health insurance scheme in the state. Apart from these, 58,888 migrant workers have also enrolled in the Government’s welfare scheme. These numbers were provided by the Labour minister of the state, Shri V.Sivankutty.

To ensure that the scheme is not exploited, the government is considering making strict guidelines for agents who are responsible for getting migrant workers to the state. Per the current situation, anyone can declare themselves as agents and bring in migrant workers. This opens up the opportunities for agents to bring workers from outside and pay them meagre wages and exploit them. The State is considering implementing a system where only credible sources and people with experience would qualify as agents, in an attempt to bring down such exploitation.

As already mentioned, the Kerala government is wary of the health conditions of the migrant workers and some of the potential medical conditions that they might bring along with them. With access to better health care, the state wants to improve the health condition of migrant workers. This, in turn, with improve the health of local residents as well. Kerala government has allocated approximately 10 crores for the introduction of the scheme. They are also trying to get more insurance companies on board to offer the service to migrant workers.

The Awaz health insurance scheme is a positive step by the Kerala government to improve the health condition of the migrant workers and the overall health of the state as well.

Indian health care system has taken steady strides over the last few years, and it is on the right track for now. This period of emerging healthcare usually comes with a cost, and it is essential that the underprivileged are not forgotten when it comes to healthcare.

One of the most visible changes is the emergence of a lot of government-backed schemes for providing efficient and effective health care for all. When the government offers such schemes, it ensures that people who cannot afford expensive healthcare, get access to good healthcare without worrying about the related expenses.

People who are struggling to make their ends meet might struggle massively to take care of their healthcare needs. However, with schemes such as the karunya arogya suraksha padhathi we have a ray of hope. These schemes ensure that people receive adequate medical attention without worrying a lot about the related expenses.

The scheme and all of its details are available online. Which makes it easily accessible to everyone. At the same time, people who aren’t all that technological savvy might find it a bit cumbersome. However, if you can take the help of someone, it is rather easy to get your hands on the scheme. You can apply for the scheme on the official website by submitting all the documents that are listed above.

Applying for the scheme online allows you to start utilizing the scheme and ensure that you and your loved ones receive the necessary medical attention. And the inclusion of a few private hospitals has ensured that the quality of healthcare is right up to the mark without any kind of compromises. If you have not already filled out your form, now might be the right time to do so.