Indian-American's drive for people with intellectual disabilities

A US-based non-profit announced a new initiative on Saturday to improve healthcare access for individuals with intellectual disabilities in India. The project aims to benefit 10,000 people in its first year by providing financial support for therapies and medical services.

Under Project Hitarth, Voice of Specially Abled People (VOSAP) has partnered with Parivaar NCPO to help individuals access the government of India's Niramaya scheme, which offers up to Rs 1 lakh in medical reimbursements per year.

Under Project Hitarth, Voice of Specially Abled People (VOSAP) has partnered with Parivaar NCPO (National Confederation of Parents Organisations) to provide financial support to social workers. This support will help individuals with intellectual disabilities access therapies, dental work, and outpatient services, and get reimbursements up to Rs 1 lakh per year from the government of India's Niramaya scheme, according to a press statement.

"We are very excited for the opportunities with this new model to expand VOSAP impact that leverages the government of India's existing programmes and strengths of our trusted, reputed partners like Parivaar," said VOSAP's California-based founder Pranav Desai.

VOSAP has been a leading NGO in the disability sector since 2017, assisting more than 25,000 persons with disabilities by providing assistive devices, surgical interventions, and scholarships.

The Niramaya scheme offers up to Rs 1 lakh insurance reimbursement for medical expenses for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

A joint research by VOSAP and Parivaar NCPO revealed significant underutilization of the scheme due to challenges in online enrollment, understanding benefits, and navigating the claim process, the statement said.

In 2022-23, a government of India report indicated that only 28,323 claims out of 1,87,290 enrolled beneficiaries, with an average of Rs 6,405 per claim, were settled. This highlights low enrollment and low reimbursement amounts despite over one crore individuals with intellectual disabilities in India, the statement said.

"The pilot programme aims to benefit 10,000 individuals with intellectual disabilities within its first year, with the goal of scaling to 1,00,000 beneficiaries. By improving access to health care and reducing the financial burden of medical expenses, Project Hitarth strives to enhance the quality of life for individuals with intellectual disabilities through essential therapies such as physiotherapy and speech therapy," it said.

Parivaar NCPO's Pankaj Maru said, "Parivaar is happy to collaborate with Voice of SAP to make the Niramaya health insurance scheme more accessible for millions of PwIDDs through our more than 300 parents and voluntary member organisations having a presence in 31 states."