The State Health Department and the National Health Authority (NHA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce the Ayushman Bharat (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) scheme in the state.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
With immediate effect, the National Health Authority's chief executive officer has directed his counterpart at the Arogyasri Trust to ensure that patients are treated in empanelled hospitals across the State under the converged scheme of Ayushman Bharat – Arogyasri.
The instructions followed the State government's guidelines for implementing the Central scheme in the state.
The progress is welcome news for the poor who have been forced to pay exorbitant fees for COVID-19 care at corporate hospitals. Last month, the NHA declared that COVID-19 testing and care will be given free of charge to Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries at private laboratories and empanelled hospitals.
The State government can now ensure care of COVID-19 patients through a collaborative initiative thanks to the convergence of Ayushman Bharat and Arogyasri.
Following initial reservations about the Ayushman Bharat scheme's breadth of coverage, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has agreed to enter the Central scheme. He instructed the concerned officials to ensure that medical services were extended in accordance with the scheme's guidelines, and orders were issued accordingly.
About the scheme:
About 107.4 million poor and needy families, or around 530 million beneficiaries, receive annual coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary treatment hospitalization. It includes 1,354 medical and surgical packages divided into 25 specialties, including cardiology, neurosurgery, oncology (chemotherapy for 50 different forms of cancer), and burns, among others.
It allows users to access services at the point of treatment without having to pay cash or use paper. Benefits are available in government and listed private hospitals for those who qualify. Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries will get free COVID-19 testing and care at private laboratories and empanelled hospitals.
