Bhubaneswar: The Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) is no more a mere government scheme. It has turned into a savior of the poor and helpless in the empanelled hospitals both within and outside Odisha. People from remote corners of western Odisha are now accessing high-tech super-specialty treatment for complicated diseases with the help of the BSKY.
The case of Prabhat Kumar Rout, aged about 48 years, from Ward-7 of Bolangir Municipality, is but one instance among many. Rout suffered from severe problems like water retention in the stomach, chest, and breathlessness, etc. Well-wishers advised him to go for treatment at the Medicover Hospital of Vishakhapatnam.
However, as he earned a livelihood by running a small grocery shop, he was unable to afford high-end clinical care.
During this crisis hour of life, he heard from his neighbours that cashless treatment in Medicover Hospital at Vishakhapatnam was possible under the BSKY Scheme using its smart card. Rout accompanied by his wife Sarmistha went to the hospital and was admitted there on February 8 this year.
After due procedural treatment in the gastroenterology department, he was transferred to the interventional neurological department wherein Dr Sibashankar Dalei performed surgery through the trans-jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) method. After due post-operational care and check-up, Prabhat was discharged from the hospital on February 29.
His wife Sarmistha said, “After the operation, my husband is now recovering. He can eat, talk, and perform his daily activities. We are grateful to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the BSKY smart card, and the doctors of Medicover Hospital for their super-specialty treatment.”
The attending surgeon at Medicover Hospital, Dr Dalei said, “The patient came to us at an advanced stage of liver cirrhosis. We have operated on him through a very advanced high-tech procedure called TIPS. His recovery process is quite good. I hope he will be completely normal shortly. We also thank the Odisha government for the BSKY smart card system through which many poor people of Odisha are getting advanced treatment at appropriate times in the best hospitals”.
