Panaji: In a major relief to Goan families with patients needing super-speciality or rare medical treatment, the State government has raised the upper ceiling of benefits under the Goa Mediclaim Scheme to Rs 5 lakh.
The notification was issued by the Directorate of Health Services earlier this week in which the annual family income limit to be eligible has also been raised to Rs 8 lakh.
About The Benefits Offered By The Scheme
Earlier the scheme used to cover medical treatment expenses to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh and the annual family income of the beneficiary patient also had to be Rs 1.5 lakh.

Now, with the new notification issued earlier this week, the annual family income limit has been raised to Rs 8 lakh and the medical expense re-imbursement benefit has also been raised to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh.
According to this scheme, if the treatment of an illness was not available in a government hospital, medical care in a private hospital in the State as well as outside was permitted and the expenses re-imbursed.
Advanced surgeries, plastic surgery, joint replacement, bone marrow transplant, cardio-vascular surgery, open heart surgery, neuro surgery, chemotherapy were some of the super-speciality treatments allowed under the scheme and as many as 15 hospitals in Goa, 12 in Maharashtra, five in Karnataka and seven in other States were empanelled.
Beneficiaries are also required to be resident of Goa for at least 15 years or more and have voting rights in the State.