25,000 Patients with Rare Diseases Flagged in North Khorasan

Supporting patients with incurable diseases requires the presence of benefactors;

According to KhabarOnline from North Khorasan, Dr. Mehrdad Sefidgaran, at a press conference on the occasion of National Health Insurance Week, stated: 134 disease groups encompassing 260 diseases are covered by the Fund for the Support of Patients with Rare and Incurable Diseases, and the supported services are provided through contracted medical centers and flagged centers.

He added: Within the framework of this fund, medical services, durable medical equipment and about 5,000 types of service have been envisaged for patients. In the cases provided for, patients can also benefit from insurance support by presenting the relevant documents and invoices.

Referring to the coverage of infertility treatment services, the director general of Health Insurance of North Khorasan said: 90 percent of the cost of these services in public centers and 60 percent of the costs in private centers are covered by Health Insurance. Also, 5,442 people have been flagged in the province's Health Insurance systems as individuals with infertility.

Sefidgaran considered the launch of a level-three infertility treatment center in the province by the University of Medical Sciences an effective step in developing specialized services and added: Alongside this center, level-two services are also provided to patients in Esfarayen.

Regarding insurance support for children under seven, he also stated: In the first quarter of this year, about 2.5 billion tomans was paid to cover the franchise (deductible) of medical services for this age group.

Emphasizing the importance of prevention and timely diagnosis of chronic diseases, the director general of Health Insurance of North Khorasan considered developing awareness about diseases such as diabetes and coverage of related services to be among the effective factors in reducing treatment costs.

In closing, Sefidgaran announced: Citizens can call the round-the-clock 1666 system to learn about Health Insurance services. Also, the USSD code ‎*1666# has been designated for learning about insurance coverage, and the code ‎*1666*6# for participating in support of patients with rare and incurable diseases.