In a significant announcement during the state Budget presentation, State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya declared that migrant workers residing outside of Bengal will now be eligible for coverage under the Swasthya Sathi scheme. This extension will benefit over 28 lakh registered migrant laborers who are part of the Karmasathi Parijayee Shramik portal.
Under the scheme, migrant workers will have access to hospital care at their workplace through insurance coverage provided by Swasthya Sathi, with an allocation of Rs 150 crore for this purpose. The state's Swasthya Sathi scheme, already covering around 2.4 crore families, has made significant strides in healthcare coverage, with approximately 2,400 hospitals empanelled.To ensure integrity, the Health department is developing software to automatically block Swasthya Sathi cards in case of irregularities.