Young fellow named Prem in Tejpur, Assam suffered from Kidney ailments for years. He needed to get immediate treatment, hence he was running from pillar to post, to get affordable medical aid but prevalent rates for Kidney treatment could cause a hole in his pocket, hence he kept delaying undergoing Kidney transplant.
Ravindra Sakte in Union Territory of Daman, was diagnosed with heart ailment and was advised to get Angioplasty done. Angioplasty would cost Rs.5 lakh which was out of reach for Sakte. He and his family tried every possible measure to arrange for fund, but did not succeed.
In meanwhile, Government of Bharat came to their rescue.
The announcement of AB PM JAY came as blessing. Ayushman Bharat PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojna became ray of hope for Prem and Ravindra and many like him, could see Silver lining amongst dark clouds.
Ravindra Sakte got his entire treatment done at the Private hospital in Daman along with post operation treatment and could get cured because of Ayushman Bharat.
Prem from Tejpur has recovered from Kidney transplant and has re-established himself in his profession, as he is hale and hearty, now.
Prem and many like him, could see the hope rising on the horizon.
With growing population of Bharat, Health sector is one area which was always in scarcity. 65+ years flew by since independence but the medical infrastructure remained outdated and old school. Surely, number of hospitals and medical institutions were built but their reach was limited as compared to the growing population. Moreover, the treatment was highly expensive for majority of the citizens. When diagnosed with fatal diseases, many would prefer to skip the treatment, in fear of causing unaffordable debt to the family and continue living in despair blaming their fate!
Medical insurance was out of reach for majority of population. Till very recently, Only 20% population could afford to avail any sort of insurances as the premium would be very high. They preferred to bear the pain silently or opt out for alternative medicines or indulge in home remedies, with little effect, than digging a hole in their children’s pocket! Such situation resulted in ascending death rate.
Hon. Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi belonging to a humble background and as grass root worker had witnessed the agony faced by common man for health issues.
When he took charge as Hon. Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001, he was insistent on bringing reforms in health and education sector. Hence, the Government of Gujarat began Eye testing drive for school kids and found out that huge number of kids had weak eyesight. Their constant complain of headache, dizziness and unclear vision was overlooked by parents as entire procedure of eye-testing and getting glasses was costly affair. The Government of Gujarat provided free spectacles to the needy. Similarly, Heart check-up of school going children was done. Numerous young children were found to be suffering from deadly heart diseases. Parents of underprivileged section would never ever dreamt of getting any check-ups done as it would cost a bomb. Treatment was far away dream. They would just witness their child slip away to death without getting any medical aid!
Gujarat Government arranged for their treatment and later built a heart issues dedicated Children hospital in Ahmedabad. The famous 108 Ambulance service, (originally a central Government project by UPA Govt. which remained on paper in most of the states other than Gujarat) saved so many lives. MukhyaMantri Amrutam Yojna (MA Yojna) initiated child birth in hospitals and not by midwives at home. The list is endless.
As Bharat had opted to be Sovereign Socialist Republic, affordable basic amenities of house, medical aid and education facilities should have been implemented from the time of independence in the initial Five Year Plans, but unfortunately such strategies were not thought of, keeping in sight, of fast growing population of the country.
With NDA Government coming to power in 2014, Hon. Prime Minister carved out the biggest health insurance scheme in the world.
Ayushman Bharat PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM JAY) is a part of Government of Bharat’s National Health Policy which aims to provide free health coverage to vulnerable population of bottom 40 % belonging to secondary and tertiary level. It was launched on 23rd September 2018 at Ranchi, Jharkhand under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Bharat. PM-JAY is the world’s largest and fully state sponsored health assurance scheme which covers a population of the combined size of USA, Canada and Mexico.
The logistics of universal health care insurance system vary by country. In some countries, they are entirely paid from tax revenue. In others, tax revenues are utilised in funding the health care for poor and those with chronic long term illness. In countries as UK, Government involvement implies directly managing the health care systems. In some countries, they use Private-Public partnership to deliver universal health care. In twenty five European countries, the universal healthcare entails a Government regulated network of private insurance companies. Neither United States nor China, both nations leading in growth ladder, have universally implemented state sponsored health insurance plan. Whereas Bharat, under Modi Government, has envisaged the biggest universal health care insurance plan. It covers over 10.74 Crore poor and deprived families (about 50 Crore beneficiaries) providing up to Rs. Five Lakh rupees per family per year.
Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and beneficiaries can avail the benefits from any public/private empanelled hospitals across the country. The benefit would be cashless and it gets directly transferred in the account of the beneficiariy. E-cards are provided to the eligible beneficiaries based on the deprivation and occupational criteria of Socio-Economic Caste census 2011. PM JAY does not impose any restriction on family size, age or gender. All previous medical conditions are covered under the scheme. PM JAY covers 3 days of hospitalisation and 15 days of post hospitalisation including diagnostic care and expenditure on medicines.
The 71st round of the National Sample Survey Organisation reveals that a staggering 85.9% of rural households did not have access to any healthcare insurance or assurance. Additionally, 24 % of rural families access healthcare facilities by borrowing money. The aim of facilitating Ten Crore household can be comprise of 8 Crore families in rural area and 2.33 Crore families in urban area. Every year, more than sixty million Bharatiya were pushed into poverty because of out of reach Medical expenses.
When world’s leading economies were refraining from indulging in such essential but colossal expense, Hon. Prime Minister took determined step of implementing this revolutionary measure. Of course, it was not an easy cakewalk for developing economy such as Bharat, to sustain this humanitarian reform.
The opposition was ever ready to punch Modiji with criticism as such mammoth expense could result into burden on economy. The analysts questioned its worthiness. The followers too had doubts in their heart
but Modiji’s resolution to wipe tears from the eyes of deprived was complete.
In rural area, PM JAY is available to:
Those living in Schedule caste and Scheduled Tribe households
Families with no male member/No individual aged between 16 years to 59 years
Beggars and those living on alms
Families with atleast one physically challenged member and no able-bodied adult member
Landless households who make a living by working as casual manual labourers
Legally releases bonded labourers
Families living in one room
Make shift houses with no proper walls
Manual scavenger families.
In Urban area those who can avail the Government sponsored scheme :
Repair workers, Mechanics, Electrician’s, Washerman, Watchman, Rag pickers, Sanitation workers, Domestic helps, Sweepers and Gardener’s, Home based artisans, Handicraft workers, Tailors, Cobblers, Hawkers, Porters, Cart and Rickshaw puller, Waiters, Transport workers like Driver, Conductor, Plumber, Construction workers, Security guard, Delivery boy etc.
However, some people are not entitled for the health cover under PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojna :
Owners of Two, Three, Four Wheeler or Motorised fishing boat,
Employees of Central Government
Those who work in Government managed non-agricultural enterprises,
Those earning monthly income above Rs. 10,000/-
Those living in decent solidly built houses
Those owning 5 acres of agricultural land.
However noble the cause may be but the challenges faced by PM JAY are plenty. The major challenge is in form of fraudulent bills. National Health Authority has revoked empanelment of 171 hospitals and imposed penalty of 4.6 Crore and 390 hospitals have been issued Show cause notice.
Opposing with political agenda, certain states like Odisha, Telangana, Delhi and Bengal have resisted its implementation. Delhi, during COVID pandemic has lessen its resistance and implemented it.
Such political differences cause immense disadvantage to poor and underprivileged. Imagine, If Sanket Sahu of Jharkhand would not have been able to get operated for his fractured legs, which he had to delay for three long years or Mohammed Salim Aslam of rural Ranchi not being able to take treatment for his Heart problem or young boy Shubham Kumar from Bokharo district, Jharkhand diagnosed with Lukemia would not be blessed with treatment through AB PM JAY, how handicapped they would have been!!!
During the pandemic of COVID 19, Ayushman Bharat has proved to be boon for Bharatiya. NDA Government has decided to make the testing and treatment for COVID-19 available under Ayushman Bharat PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB PM JAY) free of cost. Now, more than 50 Crore AB PM JAY card holders, can avail the treatment without shelling out a penny, even through private labs and empanelled hospitals.
With aim of increasing availability of medical services to larger population, during the challenging times of pandemic, the NDA Government has empanelled over 1,000 hospitals under Ayushman Bharat, for COVID and non-COVID patients. The hospitals under the scene currently, has extended to more than 21,541 across Bharat.
Speeding up the e-card issuing under AB PM JAY, the Central Government has achieved phenomenal target. It has issued 12,48,34,730 e-card! That works as great support system in dark times to fight the pandemic.
Central Government has already spent Rs. 13,660 crores (Rs. 22 Cr. per day) to Finance the expense of AB PM JAY Card holder’s struck with COVID 19. Arogya Setu app is our COVID warrior in future. When lockdown is over but Pandemic effects have not been nullified, this app will act as our alarm system to aware us about prospective affected around us. Imagine, if Ayushman Bharat Scheme was not implemented by Modi Government, what would have happen to impoverished section of society during pandemic of COVID 19?!!!
Living and leading the nation with motto of ‘Nation First’, the Modi Government‘s efforts to touch common man’s soul by providing affordable medication, has led Bharat, on the path of becoming a Welfare state.