The Parliamentary Standing Committee on human resource development(HRD) in their 31st Report on the functioning of the central government hospitals under the department of health, had expressed concern about inadequate facilities for the treatment of poor patients for major illnesses. The committee felt that it was essential to explore all appropriate sources of funds to assist poor patients coming to AIIMS or other central government hospitals for treatment of specific life-threatening diseases. In view of the recommendations of the above committee, it was decided to set up a National Illness Assistance Fund later renamed as Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) under the department of health, ministry of health & family welfare. The Fund is meant to provide financial assistance to patients living below the poverty line who are suffering from major life-threatening diseases and receiving medical treatment at any of the super-specialty hospitals/institutes or other government hospitals. The financial assistance to such patients in the form of 'one-time grant', is released by the medical superintendent of the hospital in which the treatment is being received. In a bid to speed up the assistance to the needy patients, the scheme was modified in January 1998 and an advance of Rs 10-20 lakh has been kept with the medical superintendents of AIMS, New Delhi, Dr RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, LHMC & Smt SK Hospital, New Delhi, and PGIMER, Chandigarh, JIPMER Pondichery, to enable sanction of an amount up to Rs 1 lakh in each deserving case reporting for treatment in the respective hospital/institute. The prime objective of RAN is to provide financial assistance to the poor (BPL) patients for whom expensive but essential treatment is out of reach. Eligibility Criteria For financial assistance under RAN the patient must be: ? Living Below Poverty Line ? Suffering from specified life-threatening diseases ? Taking treatment in government hospitals only Such an important healthcare scheme of the government has so far proved to be almost Utopian because of the following inherent defects: ? It is little known. Not to speak of poor indigent rural people whom it is meant for, a large chunk of the urban educated population is unaware of it. ? Even those who know of it are unable to benefit because of complexities. ? Delay in releasing financial aid under RAN due to complex process compels a poor patient to borrow money on interest. The policy of non-reimbursement of the expenditure already incurred makes the situation worse. ? The eligibility criteria of "treatment in government hospital only" further mars the prospect of being benefitted by this scheme as government hospitals are not available everywhere and serious patients have to be rushed to private clinics. ? The BPL criteria are unrealistic. State-wise, people are classified into rural and urban population. E.g., the highest per capita per month income fixed in rural areas is Rs 478.02 (Uttarakhand) and the lowest is Rs 292.95 (Andhra Pradesh). Such unrealistic parameters debars a large chunk of poor indigent people.