Copsraid' Kashmiri medical student's room in Ullal after saffronists' complaint

Bengaluru, Mar 11: The Insurance Regulatory Authority of India has asked insurers to settle all claims related to coronavirus expeditiously under existing health policies that provide for treatment of hospitalisation expenses.

It has also asked insurers to design products covering the cost of treatment of coronavirus that has fast spread across the world and also resulted in increasing number of infections in India. There has been over 3,000 deaths globally and 58 cases tested positive in India.

In order to provide need-based health insurance coverage, insurers are intro ducing products for various specific diseases, including vector borne diseases. "For the purpose of meeting health insurance requirements of various sections, insurers are advised to design products covering the costs of treatment for coronavirus," the IRDAI said in a circular.

The regulator said that under existing health insurance policies where hospitalisation is covered, not only the cases related to coronvirus disease (COVID-19) shall be expeditiously handled, but all the costs of admissible medic al expenses during the course of treatment, including the treatment during quarantine period, should be settled in accordance to the applicable terms and conditions of policy contract and the extant regulatory framework.

This would bring much needed relief to policy holders some of whom were facing difficulty in getting coverage for treatment takers to coronavirus. In the absence of clear information, a few hospitals were reportedly denying for forward such claims of policy holders to the insurers.

IRDAI has now said that all the claims reported under COVID-19 shall be thoro ughly reviewed by review committee before repudiating the claims. This would prevent blanket rejection of such claims.

But to get full claim for treatment of coronavirus, industry experts said, a person should be hospitalised at least for 24 hours. Most insurers do not c over outpatient treatment.

Bengaluru, Apr 11: Karnataka Library Department’s mobile application, which is said to be the first of its kind initiative in the country has seen an exponential growth in downloads during the COVID-19 lockdown, a senior Minister said on Friday. The main reason that the application is growing is due to the heavy students demand as schools and colleges are closed during the 21-day nationwide lockdown.

Students are relying on online material for their studies as they can’t step out of the house and risk being infected.

The Library Department's efforts to keep readers active through the lockdown time, by prompting them to utilise its e-initiatives is paying off, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar said.

"The app is seeing exponential increase in downloads since its launch. As many as 16,500 people have taken it; while ten thousand people have downloaded it during this brief lock down time itself," he said.

E-library mobile app was released by the library department on February 26.

There are over one lakh e-books available on department's digital platform ranging from arts, humanity, school curriculum, competitive exams and self help to classic novels - all for free for the readers.

"Its needless to say, the variety of attractive content that is available in the app is creating all the buzz among the public. Not just the books, the app contains over 600 educational videos too," the Minister said in a statement.

Considering that over 16,500 readers have downloaded the app since its launch a couple of months back, its high time, we see this domain as an opportunity for growth, he said, and stressed on the need for better adaptability approaches to the changing times.

Bengaluru, Jul 24: To condemn violence on healthcare workers and to voice issues concerning medical fraternity, Karnataka Association Of Resident Doctors (KARD) has called for a nationwide symbolic protest from July 24.

"In order to condemn violence on healthcare workers and to voice all our issues, we have called nationwide symbolic protest from July 24. We will protest symbolically by wearing black bands, across the state and have sought support from residents pan-India," KARD said in a statement.

"We, the resident doctors of Karnataka have been undergoing various difficulties while executing our duties during the COVID-19 pandemic," it added.

"Arrest and legal action against culprits involved in K.C General hospital incident. Arrest and legal action against culprits involved in Belgaum incident. Condemnation of atrocities on doctors in Bidar and action against the official. Ensuring safety protocols at all hospitals and COVID care centres with adequate security and police personnel," KARD demanded.

"No hierarchy in a pandemic"- common work pattern for all doctors irrespective of hierarchy/cadre. Immediate release of funds for a stipend for an already sanctioned hike. COVID duty and night duty allowances. Ensuring an adequate supply of N-95 masks, face shields, surgical gowns in all non-COVID working areas. An adequate supply of good quality PPEs for all COVID working areas," KARD demanded.

Earlier, the nurses of Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubli called off the protest after receiving assurance from Nitish Patil, the Dharwad district Deputy Commissioner (DC).

The protest was staged on Wednesday afternoon in front of KIMS by nurses who alleged that the administration had not provided adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, masks and sanitary facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation.