Srinagar: Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly (MLAs) can now allocate Rs 20 lakh, which is equal to 6.7 per cent of Rs 3 crore annual Constituency Development Fund to poor families facing financial ordeal due to life-threatening diseases such as cancer, an order issued by the J&K government said on Monday.
This comes in the wake of a rising number of cancer patients in Jammu and Kashmir, with doctors terming it as an ‘impending epidemic ’, and is expected to help patients with crippling diseases as they increasingly turn to social media for crowd funding.
The order, issued by Jammu and Kashmir’s Finance Department, has allowed an MLA to utilise up to 20 lakh out of the Constituency Development Fund, which comes with a total ceiling of Rs 3 crore. The allocation, it said, will be used for providing medical Assistance to patients suffering from life-threatening diseases.
“The assistance to an individual beneficiary shall not exceed the maximum limit of Rs 2.75 lakh for cancer treatment, Rs 5.00 lakh for Organ transplantation and Rs 1.00 lakh for Chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis and other diseases notified by the Government,” the order added.
However, the financial aid will cover only patients falling below the poverty line (BPL) and economically weaker categories, with a rider of having exhausted benefits under government schemes, including PM-JAY SEHAT, Medical Aid Trust (MAT), Cancer Treatment and Management Fund for Poor (CTMFFP) and others, it said.
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“Assistance shall be admissible only for specified life-threatening diseases such as cancer, organ transplantation, chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis/transplantation, and other diseases notified by Government,” it said.
The aid, it said, will not bear the total cost of treatment and will partially help patients with a specific monetary ceiling for each patient to be fixed, the order added. “Payment shall be made directly to the empanelled hospital/medical institution and not to the beneficiary,” it noted.
The financial aid will contribute to the ruling NC government’s poll promise, wherein it aimed to create a medical trust with a free insurance cover of ₹5,00,000 per annum for terminal diseases like cancer, heart and kidney transplants.
NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq hailed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for the decision, saying it will bring immense relief to countless families across Jammu & Kashmir. He said patients battling life-threatening illnesses and their families were left running from pillar to post, desperately seeking financial assistance.
But the landmark decision will ensure timely support when it is needed the most, easing both financial and emotional distress, Sadiq said.
