Location Sitakund and Chittagong City Corporation area

Duration Since 2003 Situation In 2003 it began as a project called Micro Health Insurance for the Rural Poor Women in Bangladesh (MHIB). Since January 2006 this project was renamed the Micro Health Insurance Program (MHIP)

Goal

To ensure health services for poor and vulnerable people in the working area.

Justification

In 2003 it began as a project called Micro Health Insurance for the Rural Poor Women in Bangladesh (MHIB). Since January 2006 this project was renamed the Micro Health Insurance Program (MHIP).

Objectives

• Provide cost effective quality health services
• Build up awareness on health issues
• Decrease rate of maternal mortality and child mortality
• Birth Control through motivation and distribution of FP method
• Ensure quality of reproductive health services
• Reduce the rate of RTI and STI
• Reduce malnutrition
• Sustain the program through maintaining professionalism and providing service.

Activities

• Mobilize the local population, especially group members, to bring themselves under the coverage of MHIP
• Provide various types of treatment including pathological support through the service center (i.e., static and satellite clinic) and referral services
• Attempts to reduce the birth rate, death rate, and malnutrition by ensuring the quality of reproductive health through awareness raising activities in the household level

The program offers the following package

Type of Card	Contribution	Benefits
Red Card for MF & ME borrower Yellow Card for MF & ME Saver and other program member of YPSA Green Card for Poor people of Target area YPSA staff, Volunteer, GM	For Red Card holder 1% on Micro Finance and .5% on Micro Enterprise borrowing of YPSA. For Yellow Card holder Taka 50 for Micro Finance & Micro Enterprise savers and Taka 75 for other program members of YPSA. For Green Card holder Taka 75 for poor people in the target area and YPSA staff, Volunteer & General members. (70 Taka is equivalent to approximately 1 USD)	Card holder and other 6 members of the household members covered by 1 card Consultation fee: Card holder Tk. 5 and non-card holder Tk.10 Medicine ( top 15 company): Card holder subsidy Tk. 15-20% on MRP and non-card holder as MRP Pathological test: Card holder subsidy Tk. 30% on market price and non-card holder subsidy Tk. 20% on market price Referral Doctor (Selected) fee- Nil Referral pathological Test: Up to Tk. 100 subsidy on market price Report Showing- Card holder Tk. Nil, non-card holder Tk.5 (All Cards for 1 year and it can be renewed after 1 year)

Supporting Organisations

Women Empowerment through Employment and Health (WEEH), a project of the International Labour Organization (ILO) , Innovative product Development of CARE-INCOME III and YPSA.