9000+ Cashless Hospitals
Up to 20% Discount
9000+ Cashless Hospitals
Up to 20% Discount
The central and state governments work in unison to provide advanced medical facilities to this country’s people. West Bengal Health Scheme (WBHS) is one such initiative by the Government of West Bengal.
The scheme offers pensioners, All India Services (AIS) officials, and state government employees a cashless medical treatment opportunity. It is a welfare scheme for health insurance at the state level. Willing to know about this scheme and what’s included in it?
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The West Bengal Health Scheme is a state-level health insurance welfare policy introduced by the West Bengal government in 2008 and issued by its Finance Department. It came into effect on 1st June, 2009.
This scheme aims to provide enhanced medical facilities to state government employees, pensioners, and their families. The WB government has revised this health scheme from time to time to include a broader segment of society.
Under this scheme, a beneficiary can obtain reimbursement of treatment costs in selected hospitals within this state. This scheme also reimburses costs of OPD treatment of 18 diseases (conditions apply).
Moreover, treatment under the WBHS can be availed in 11 impanelled hospitals outside West Bengal. In addition, individuals can claim reimbursement for the cost of indoor treatment conducted in hospitals other than registered ones. In such cases, norms are subject to compliance with WBHS guidelines.
In 2014, the state government changed the name from West Bengal Health Scheme to ‘West Bengal Health for All Employees and Cashless Medical Treatment Scheme 2014’. This new scheme enables beneficiaries to avail themselves of cashless medical facilities for up to Rs. 2 lakh per indoor treatment.
The West Bengal Health Scheme has many unique and important features. Below mentioned are some of the salient features of this scheme:
WBHS covers approximately 1000 odd medical procedures. Read on to know the types of treatment and the number of days under this scheme:
These are some of the West Bengal Health Scheme benefits.
Initially, the West Bengal Health Scheme was solely offered to the West Bengal government's retired and family pensioners. However, the updated scheme intends to provide healthcare facilities to employees of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Forest Services (IFS), Indian dialysis servicesPolice Services (IPS), and retired AIS officers.
Following is a detailed discussion of the benefits extended to IAS, IFS, and IPS officers.
West Bengal Health Scheme, 2008, is available to IPS officers plus their family members, subject to certain conditions. These are:
IFS officers and their family members can secure healthcare facilities under WBHS 2008 as per the following conditions.
West Bengal Health Scheme provides healthcare benefits to IAS officers under certain conditions. These include:
West Bengal Health Scheme covers 1014 medical treatments. Below is the list of diseases covered under WBHS 2008:
Note: WBHS 2008 does not cover cosmetic surgeries and non-medical treatment.
The following categories of individuals who are eligible for the West Bengal Health Scheme:
*Refers to the dependant family member of the concerned government employee or pensioner and includes:
To claim reimbursement under WBHS 2008, individuals must enroll in the West Bengal Health Scheme portal.
To enroll in the WBHS portal, follow the process mentioned below. This refers to the WB Health Scheme online registration procedure.
This completes the West Bengal Health Scheme registration process.
Now that you know how to apply for the West Bengal Health Scheme, eligible applicants can download the WBHS application form from its portal.
The download processes for both state government employees and pensioners from the WBHS portal are discussed below:
The steps for downloading West Bengal Health Scheme Application Form for State Government employees are as follows:
Government employees can find various types of forms that are enumerated in the following table.
The steps for pensioners are different from state government employees. Follow the steps below for a better understanding:
Pensioners can find different types of forms in the West Bengal Health Scheme portal. These are listed in the table below:
WBHS works in a cashless manner, where individuals can claim reimbursement for treatment costs specified in the scheme. However, if the cost exceeds the specified amount, the applicant must bear such additional costs. Beneficiaries must submit a WBHS claim form or a WBHS reimbursement form to acquire the benefits.
Here’s how one can claim benefits under WBHS:
Having a clear list of the empanelled hospitals is helpful for the beneficiaries. Below is a list of empanelled hospitals under the West Bengal Health Scheme:
Note: Many of the hospitals mentioned above may no longer be a part of the WBHS 2008. Therefore, individuals must check if the healthcare facilities covered under WBHS can be availed from the respective hospitals. You can cross-check the updated list on the WBHS portal.
The West Bengal Health Scheme offers many packages that beneficiaries can avail themselves of. Here is a list of packages under the WBHS:
To find a hospital under the West Bengal Health Scheme online, you can follow these steps:
Under the West Bengal Health Scheme, the hospitalisation process involves a few steps. First, the beneficiary must obtain a referral from a registered medical practitioner. Then, they need to identify an empaneled hospital by checking the official list provided by the scheme. Upon admission, the hospital will verify the beneficiary’s eligibility and process the claim.
The hospital will handle the documentation and claim submission to cover expenses according to the scheme's terms. Beneficiaries need to follow additional procedures specified by the scheme to ensure smooth processing and coverage.
Know about:
Take note of the West Bengal Health Scheme helpline details in case of any emergency.
Email Address of WBHS Portal: support.wbmedicalcell@nic.in
Contact Number: (033)2254-4123/(033)2254-4034
For Technical Help:
The West Bengal Health Scheme intends to give state government workers, retirees, and their families easy access to reasonably priced healthcare. This initiative lowers the financial obstacles to vital medical care.
Now that you have come to know about the various aspects of the West Bengal Health Scheme, you can easily enroll and register under WBHS 2008 and reap its many benefits.