Health insurance programme has been initiated in Doti district. Sudur Paschim (Far-west) State government minister for health and population, Nawaraj Rawat, initiated the programme by handing over the insurance policy to two elderly women at a lunching function here on Wednesday.

Persons with disabilities of Category A, the senior citizens, people living with HIV/AIDS and leprosy and tuberculosis patients will be insured under the health insurance programme, Chief of the District Health Office, Ramesh Malasi said.

Similarly, the women health volunteers have been provided with 50 per cent discount for the health insurance. The annual premium is Rs 3,500 for a family having one to five members and Rs 700 per head for families with more than five members.

With this, the health insurance programme has been implemented in all the nine districts of the Sudur Paschim State. The programme has been expanded to 488 local levels in the State so far.

It is said only 12 per cent of the total population in the State is covered by health insurance programme. The total population of the State as per the latest census is 2 million 552 thousand 517. Only 246,203 people are covered by health insurance so far.