Shimla, Feb 26 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government has signed an MoU with PGIMER-Chandigarh to provide cashless treatment to patients under the HIMCARE scheme, it said on Monday.

The initiative will benefit 4,000-5,000 patients from Himachal Pradesh annually.

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The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER)-Chandigarh Medical Superintendent Prof Vipin Koushal and HP Swasthya Bima Yojana Society CEO Dr Ashwani Sharma.

HIMCARE is a scheme of the Himachal Pradesh government to provide free treatment to patients, along the lines of Ayushman Bharat.

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Under the agreement, PGIMER and HIMCARE will work together to enhance the healthcare experience for patients by facilitating cashless treatment, the statement said.

Himachal Pradesh started the scheme on January 1, 2019, for providing cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per year. On an average, 4,000 patients from Himachal Pradesh avail themselves of treatment every year under the scheme at the institute, PGIMER Deputy Director (Administration) Pankaj Rai said.

Earlier, the process to get reimbursement under HIMCARE was very cumbersome and time-consuming, he said.

Now, there will be no need to submit treatment estimate certificates or bills for reimbursement. The beneficiary will only have to submit their HIMCARE cards at the PGIMER counter for cashless treatment, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)