What is Kerala Karunya Scheme?
The Kerala Karunya Health Protection Scheme is run by the state Health & Family Welfare Department to shield poorer families from catastrophic medical bills. It gives BPL households, and APL families earning under ₹3 lakh a year, cashless treatment worth up to ₹5 lakh annually at government hospitals and empanelled private hospitals. More than 550 procedures are covered, including heart surgery, cancer chemotherapy and radiation, kidney transplant, brain and orthopedic surgery and dialysis. Eligible families are issued a Karunya/State Health Card, and once admitted at a listed hospital the bill is settled directly with the hospital under the cashless model, so the patient does not pay upfront for covered care.
Kerala Karunya Scheme — Quick Overview
| Scheme Name | Kerala Karunya Health Protection Scheme 2026 — ₹5 Lakh Health Cover |
| State | Kerala (केरल) |
| Launched By | Government of Kerala |
| Launch Year | 2012 |
| Benefit | ₹5 lakh/year cashless health insurance — 550+ procedures at govt/empanelled hospitals |
| Category | Health |
| Beneficiaries | 45 lakh+ families in Kerala |
| Last Verified | 17 June 2026 |
| Official Portal | https://karunya.kerala.gov.in |
केरल कारुण्य स्वास्थ्य सुरक्षा योजना BPL और APL परिवारों को ₹5 लाख/वर्ष तक का cashless स्वास्थ्य बीमा देती है। 550+ चिकित्सा प्रक्रियाओं में सरकारी और empanelled निजी अस्पतालों में मुफ्त इलाज। karunya.kerala.gov.in पर apply करें।
₹5 लाख/वर्ष cashless स्वास्थ्य बीमा — 550+ प्रक्रियाओं में सरकारी और empanelled hospital में
കേരള കാരുണ്യ ആരോഗ്യ സുരക്ഷ പദ്ധതി BPL, APL (₹3 ലക്ഷത്തിൽ കുറഞ്ഞ വരുമാനം) കുടുംബങ്ങൾക്ക് ₹5 ലക്ഷം വരെ ക്യാഷ്ലെസ് ആരോഗ്യ ഇൻഷുറൻസ് നൽകുന്നു. 550+ ചികിത്സാ നടപടിക്രമങ്ങൾ ഉൾക്കൊള്ളുന്നു — ഹൃദയ ശസ്ത്രക്രിയ, ക്യാൻസർ ചികിത്സ, കിഡ്നി മാറ്റിവയ്ക്കൽ ഉൾപ്പെടെ.
📌 फायदा: വർഷം ₹5 ലക്ഷം വരെ ക്യാഷ്ലെസ് ആരോഗ്യ ഇൻഷുറൻസ് — 550+ ചികിത്സകൾ
पात्रता:
കേരളത്തിലെ BPL കുടുംബങ്ങൾ, ₹3 ലക്ഷത്തിൽ കുറഞ്ഞ വരുമാനമുള്ള APL കുടുംബങ്ങൾ. ESIC ഗുണഭോക്താക്കൾ അർഹരല്ല.
अर्ज कसा करावा:
karunya.kerala.gov.in ൽ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നിങ്ങളുടെ അടുത്തുള്ള അക്ഷയ സെന്ററിൽ / തഹസിൽദാർ ഓഫീസിൽ ചെന്ന് കാരുണ്യ കാർഡിന് അപേക്ഷിക്കാം.
Benefits of Kerala Karunya Scheme
✅ ₹5 lakh/year cashless health insurance — 550+ procedures at govt/empanelled hospitals
₹5 लाख/वर्ष cashless स्वास्थ्य बीमा — 550+ प्रक्रियाओं में सरकारी और empanelled hospital में
Who is Eligible for Kerala Karunya Scheme?
- ✓ BPL (Below Poverty Line) family in Kerala
- ✓ APL (Above Poverty Line) families with annual income below ₹3 lakh
- ✓ Holders of Karunya card / State Health Card
- ✓ Not covered under ESIC or government service health benefits
Documents Required for Kerala Karunya Scheme
How to Apply for Kerala Karunya Scheme Online?
- 1karunya.kerala.gov.in पर जाएं या नजदीकी Akshaya Centre / Taluk office जाएं
- 2Kerala Karunya Card application form भरें
- 3Ration card, Aadhaar, income certificate upload/जमा करें
- 4Card जारी होने पर empanelled hospitals में ₹5 लाख तक cashless treatment
Official Government Portal — Kerala
Use karunya.kerala.gov.in directly — there is no application fee, and no third party can speed up your approval.
🔗 Apply at karunya.kerala.gov.inReal-Life Examples — Are You Eligible for Kerala Karunya Scheme?
A quick way to gauge your eligibility — find the profile nearest to yours:
Bindu, a BPL ration-card family in Kerala whose daughter needs heart surgery at an empanelled hospital
Eligible — BPL families in Kerala are directly covered, and heart surgery is among the 550+ procedures under the ₹5 lakh cashless cover
Thomas, an APL family in Kerala with annual income of ₹2.5 lakh needing cancer chemotherapy
Eligible — APL families earning under ₹3 lakh a year qualify, and cancer treatment is a covered procedure
Rajesh, a salaried employee already covered for hospitalisation under ESIC
Not eligible — those covered under ESIC or government-service health benefits are excluded from Karunya
Illustrative cases only — verify your own situation against the official criteria.
Common Mistakes — Why Kerala Karunya Scheme Applications Get Rejected
- ✗Applying as an APL family with an income certificate above the ₹3 lakh limit, which makes the family ineligible.
- ✗Using an expired or non-Kerala ration card, so BPL/APL status cannot be confirmed for the Karunya card.
- ✗Letting the Karunya/State Health Card lapse and not renewing it, so cashless treatment is denied at admission.
- ✗Going to a hospital that is not on the empanelled list and expecting the bill to be settled cashless.
Insider Tips for Kerala Karunya Scheme
- →Use only the official karunya.kerala.gov.in portal or a nearby Akshaya Centre/Taluk office — never pay an agent for the card.
- →Check the empanelled hospital list on the portal before admission so your chosen hospital can bill the scheme cashlessly.
- →Keep your ration card, Aadhaar and (for APL) income certificate ready and link Aadhaar to your bank account in advance.
- →Renew the Karunya card before it expires and carry it at admission so the hospital can verify cover without delay.