PM Narendra Modi’s flagship scheme to touch 1.40 crore lives in Assam

Ayushman Bharat

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Sept 23: Ayushman Bharat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship healthcare scheme will enable nearly half of Assam’s populace to avail free medical treatment to cure critical ailments.

Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world’s largest government-funded health care programme, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) at Ranchi in Jharkhand on Sunday afternoon, State Health & Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here announced that the scheme will cover 1.40 crore individuals of 27 lakh families.

Sarma said that under the scheme the State Government has decided to distribute laminated cards to the selected families from November 24 and the process will end on October 10. Altogether 1350 procedures and 1394 medical and surgical packages will be covered and treatment can be done in all medical colleges and empanelled nursing homes or private hospitals. From November 1 all district hospitals will be brought under the purview of the scheme, he said.

The Ayushman Bharat scheme aims to benefit over 10 crore families by providing them cashless health assurance up to Rs 5 lakh every year without paying any premium. Nearly 31 States and Union Territories will implement the programme to enable 50 crore Indians reap dividends from the scheme. The beneficiaries are identified based on four “deprivation categories”. There is no cap on family size and age in the scheme, ensuring that nobody is left out.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal termed the day as a historic day for India. “We are committed to building a healthy and fit state and Ayushman Bharat conceptualized under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will benefit approximately 27 lakh poor and vulnerable families which will bring in a paradigm shift in the health care system in the State,” he said.

Sonowal, however, said that awareness needs to be generated throughout the State, for all the targeted individuals to reap benefits from the programme.

He also said that the scheme has the potential to target even the poorest of the poor as henceforth these vulnerable sections of the society need not worry about the out-of-pocket expenditure for any health related issues. The bottom line of these schemes lies on the fact that the governments both at the Centre as well as in the State are trying their level best to lend dignity to the lives of the people of the country, Sonowal added.

Under the scheme, Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Mitra, who will be the primary contact for the beneficiaries at every empanelled hospital, will be pressed into service. The beneficiaries have been drawn based on the data of the Socio-Economic and Caste Census of 2011.

Sonowal distributed PM-JAY cards to few beneficiaries at a function held at the playground of College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara.

Union Minster of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, MP Bijoya Chakraborty, Hill Areas Development Minister Sum Ronghang, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Pijush Hazarika, several MLAs, Chief Secretary Alok Kumar and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.