According to Assam Health department reports, around 27 lakh families will be covered under the mega healthcare scheme and already they have started distributing the smart card
Guwahati: Assam on Thursday implemented the Centrally sponsored scheme Ayushman Bharat Yojana with an aim to make healthcare accessible and affordable.
The decision came after each BJP-ruled states were asked to implement the scheme ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The scheme, which is expected to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh to 10 crores to economically backward families, can no doubt yield political dividend if implemented on time and Assam's health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also considered as the BJPs brain in the northeast, seems to be fully aware of this fact.
Within 24 hours of its launch, 21 patients in Assam were benefited from the scheme.
According to Assam health department reports, around 27 lakh families will be covered under the mega healthcare scheme and already over 20 lakh smart cards for the scheme have been distributed to the eligible families.
Ayushman Bharat Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) was launched by Narendra Modi in April 2018 and over 23,000 patients have been benefited since then.
“Over 23,000 patients of the state have benefited under the scheme. Among these patients, over 6000 are cancer, cardiology, dialysis, neurology, neurosurgery, urology patients,” said a health official.
Eligible people, who are identified based on four deprivation categories, can avail the benefits in government and some listed private hospitals.
The scheme doesn’t have any cap on family size and age.
In the case of hospitalisation, members of the beneficiary families do not need to pay anything under the scheme.
Ayushman Bharat is the biggest government sponsored healthcare scheme in the world and over 1,300 ailments are covered in it.
Now the question is, can it help BJP in 2019 general election?
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