Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu has approved a health scheme offering cashless treatment and annual health check-ups to registered construction workers and eligible dependent family members, extending medical coverage to more than 2.7 lakh live members of the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
The Delhi Building Workers Health Scheme was earlier approved by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Delhi Cabinet, according to a statement issued on Saturday. Under the scheme, every registered construction worker and their eligible spouse will receive one annual health check-up, along with cashless outpatient consultation, diagnostic services, medicines and inpatient treatment through empanelled hospitals operating at Central Government Health Scheme rates.
The coverage includes emergency treatment, occupational diseases, chronic illnesses, specialised care, maternal healthcare and rehabilitation. Treatment will be available up to Rs 2 lakh per beneficiary each year, subject to an overall family limit of Rs 10 lakh annually, the statement said.
Workers will also be able to seek treatment at the nearest non-empanelled hospital in the event of a worksite accident or medical emergency. Such a hospital will be treated as provisionally empanelled for the limited duration of the emergency treatment, according to the government statement.
The scheme will be administered by the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, an autonomous statutory body established in 2002. The board registers construction workers and runs welfare programmes using the cess collected from construction employers. The new health programme places that welfare mechanism alongside the occupational risks and healthcare needs associated with construction work in Delhi.
Given the technical and specialised nature of the programme, the government will engage a Project Implementing Agency for an initial period of three years. The contract may be extended by another year following a performance review, officials said. The agency will be responsible for implementing the scheme through the network of empanelled hospitals and related service systems.
Mobile Medical Units will be provided to transport workers from worksites to empanelled hospitals, coordinate health screenings and support awareness activities. The scheme will also use dedicated software to manage beneficiary records, treatment histories and claims processing, the statement said.
The approval now sets out the administrative and service-delivery framework for extending healthcare benefits to registered construction workers and their eligible families. Implementation will proceed through the appointed Project Implementing Agency, mobile medical services, empanelled hospitals and the board’s digital beneficiary and claims system.
