On November 28, in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about the Ayushman Bharat scheme. He talked about the benefits that the Ayushman Card beneficiaries are getting under the scheme and had a conversation with two beneficiaries. He said, “Our health is the biggest happiness in our lives, that everyone should get this cheerful life is the essence of Ayushman Bharat.”
Got treatment and medicines with Ayushman card – Rajesh Kumar Prajapati
PM Modi talked to two beneficiaries of the Ayushman card. The first beneficiary was Rajesh Kumar Prajapati, who was suffering from a heart ailment. During the conversation, Prajapati told the initially doctors thought he had an acidity problem and gave medicine for the same. However, when he did not get better, the local doctor referred him to a specialist Dr Amresh Agarwal who did angiography and informed him that he had a blockage.
Prajapati told PM Modi that because of the Ayushman card, his treatment and medicines were free, and he did not have to spend a single rupee on the treatment. He said, “Sir and this card that you have made in a very good way and for us poor people is very convenient. And how can I thank you!” 49-year-old Prajapati works at a private firm. He had been suffering from a heart problem for a long time.
While telling PM how he got treatment for free, Prajapati said, “All my treatment was done with the same card, not a single penny of mine was spent, all the medicines have also been issued through the same card.” PM Modi encouraged him to tell the low-income families around him to tell about the benefits of the scheme.
Knee surgery under the Ayushman Bharat scheme saved around three lakhs
The second beneficiary PM Modi talked to was Sukhdevi from Danadpara, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. She informed PM Modi that she got treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme for her damaged knee from Prayag Hospital. 40-year-old Sukhdevi has been suffering from arthritis since she was only 16 years old. Initially, she got treatment from quacks resulting in further damage to the knee.
She told PM Modi if there was no scheme for the treatment, she had to spend around Rs. 3 lakh on the surgery. She said, “I have been on the cot for 6-7 years. I was praying to God to call me as I did not want to live. The doctor had told it would cost 2.5 to 3 lakh rupees for the treatment. My husband came to know about the scheme during a meeting at the school. It was because of the Ayushman card that I got my treatment for free.”
She thanked PM Modi and said, “Thank you very much! Because of your scheme, I got cured, I got back on my feet.”
Ayushman Bharat Card
Ayushman Card is issued to the beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which is a flagship health protection scheme of the Government of India that provides a cover of up to Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year. It is currently available for poor and vulnerable families covering around 53 crore beneficiaries. It provides cashless and paperless access to services for the beneficiaries at the point of care. Launched on September 23, 2018, over 16.7 crore cards have been issued nationwide, and over 2.27 crore hospital admissions have been reported under the scheme so far.