Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), the National Health Insurance Programme of the Government of India, was launched in 2008 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) to provide health insurance coverage to people below the poverty line.  The scheme has now been extended to certain other categories of unorganised workers and their families. Germany is providing the Indian government expertise in the design and implementation of the programme.

The objective of RSBY is to provide identified households protection from financial liabilities arising out of health shocks that involve hospitalisation. Beneficiaries are entitled to hospitalisation coverage within a limit, and it extends to five members of the family. 

Enlarge image (© GIZ New Delhi) Starting with only two states and few districts, RSBY is now being implemented in 26 states and has enrolled 30 million families. This makes RSBY one of the largest health insurance schemes in the world. The Indian government plans to reach 70 million families by the end of 2017.

The German government is working together with MoLE since 2008 in the design and implementation of RSBY.  This cooperation is funded through the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is being implemented by Germany’s International Cooperation Agency, GIZ, through the Indo-German Social Security Programme.

RSBY is being considered one of the most innovative health insurance schemes in the world, which has used technology for reaching the poorest of the poor in a transparent and effective manner. Many countries in Asia and Africa have expressed in learning from it from their own perspective.