Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the new phase of Ayushman Bharat scheme ‘Niramayam (he who does not suffer from any disease)’. Prime Minister Modi launched development projects worth approximately Rs 12,850 crore at an event organized at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in Delhi. Now all senior citizens aged 70 years and above will be eligible for free treatment under the flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. This important step in the health sector was initiated on the occasion of the ninth Day of Ayurveda and the birth anniversary of Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of medicine.
Free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh will be offered every year
Under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), all senior citizens aged 70 years and above will get health coverage. This facility will be available to senior citizens of any income group. Free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh will be offered every year. Apart from this, families already availing the benefits of Ayushman Yojana will be able to get separate treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh per year for their senior family members. This will benefit more than 6 million elderly people from approximately 4.5 million families in the country. So far, only low-income families have been included in this scheme, while there will be no income limit in this scheme started for senior citizens.
How will the elderly receive free treatment?
For this plan, a special Ayushman card will be provided to senior citizens, which will be different from the Ayushman family plan. These special cards became available on October 29. Prime Minister Modi handed out cards to many senior citizens during the program held in Delhi. Union Health Minister JP Nadda and many other ministers and officials were also present during this time. These Ayushman cards will be done through BIS portal/Ayushman app, for this senior citizens will also have to update their Aadhar card and KYC. While senior citizens who have private health insurance will have the option to choose between private insurance and that of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
Let us tell you that Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the second phase of India’s first All India Ayurveda Institute, which will include a Panchakarma hospital, an Ayurvedic pharmacy manufacturing medicines, a sports medicine unit, a central library, an incubation center for startups and IT and 500 students. Includes an auditorium with seating. Drone technology will be used to improve services and make healthcare more accessible. PM Modi launches drone services in 11 tertiary health institutions.
