Majority of disabled people in Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru lack health insurance coverage: Report
Bengaluru: An overwhelming majority of people with disabilities in Bengaluru Rural and Tumakuru remain without health insurance coverage, with most having received no health support or assistive aids in the past year, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and the NGO Astha.
The report, as cited by Deccan Herald, surveyed 758 individuals—388 from Bengaluru Rural and 370 from Tumakuru—55 percent of whom were men. Alarmingly, the findings reveal that 96 percent of disabled persons in Tumakuru and 88 percent in Bengaluru Rural do not have access to health insurance.
Over 90 percent of respondents across both districts reported not having availed any form of health support or assistive devices last year. In addition to this, a large proportion of participants suffered from locomotor disabilities.
Education and employment statistics were equally stark—47 percent in Bengaluru Rural and 24 percent in Tumakuru were illiterate, and around 70 percent of all respondents were unemployed, relying entirely on family support. Most of the families in both districts earned less than Rs 1 lakh per annum.
Respondents expressed that their disabilities compounded existing hardships—ranging from limited access to education and employment to social exclusion and economic difficulties, added the report. Many also acknowledged vulnerability to climate change-related health impacts.
“The tragedy of the disability sector is that the basics are not in place. Health for people with disabilities is a matter of life and death; assistive aids cannot be populist schemes,” DH quoted Arman Ali, Executive Director of NCPEDP, as saying.
The report proposes a series of recommendations to address the systemic gaps: Creating disability-friendly public services, subsidising healthcare and improving accessibility to health insurance schemes, census based on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, updating Disability IDs, community-based health management and private and charitable organisations' involvement, and capacity building of caregivers through self-help groups.
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Indo-Pak: PM Modi chairs high-level meeting
New Delhi, May 11 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Sunday with top government functionaries, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, a day after India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop military actions.
NSA Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and all three service chiefs were among those who attended the meeting.
India had accused Pakistan of violating the terms of the understanding on Saturday night and asked it to take "appropriate steps" to address these violations and deal with the situation with "seriousness and responsibility".
The situation has since cooled down even though residents in several border areas continue to live in a state of apprehension following days of shelling and drone incidents.
