Ayushman Bharat scheme to be launched by Modi on Sunday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to roll out the NDA government's flagship program, the Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHP), from Jharkhand on Sunday. The scheme, which has since been renamed to Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan (PMJAY), is aimed at benefiting as many as 10 crore poor families with an annual, per family health insurance of Rs. 5 lakh. Here's more.
Who are the beneficiaries of the scheme?
The scheme will target the rural poor primarily, and entitlements will be based on the five deprivation categories in the latest Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC). For the urban poor, 11 occupational categories will determine families' entitlements. It's estimated that 8.03 crore rural families, and 2.33 crore urban families will be the scheme's beneficiaries - that's around 50 crore people!
Ayushman Bharat is the world's largest government healthcare scheme
Ayushman Bharat is being billed as the world's largest government healthcare scheme. So far, a total of 31 UTs and states have MoUs with the Centre that will see them implement the scheme in the coming months. The rest are yet to sign on.
Families can avail the scheme by providing identification
To avail the benefits under the scheme, families would need to establish their identities via any recognized identity card, be it Aadhaar, voter ID, or ration card. Notably, Aadhaar isn't mandatory for availing the scheme. Additionally, it's worth noting that there are no caps on family size or family members' ages to ensure that nobody gets left out of the scheme.
Enrolment can be done online or offline
The National Health Agency (NHA), the apex government body responsible for implementing the scheme, has launched a website and a helpline number to help prospective beneficiaries. One can head to mera.pmjay.gov.in, or call the helpline (14555) to check their enrolment status. Enrolment simply involves verifying your mobile number via an OTP, and completing the KYC online. Recognized hospitals will also have offline help desks.
Over 8,300 hospitals are currently recognized under the scheme
The government had received applications from over 15,000 hospitals to be enrolled under the scheme. Of them, around 7,500 hospitals were private hospitals. Currently, over 8,375 hospitals, both public and private, have been empanelled under the scheme, and over 1,354 subsidized health packages will be provided to beneficiaries. In the current fiscal, the scheme is expected to cost the Centre around Rs. 3,500cr.
