PM Modi hits out at Delhi, WB government for not implementing Ayushman Bharat scheme
NEW DELHI: With the aim to expand India’s healthcare services and infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a series of health-related projects worth Rs. 12,850 crore on Tuesday.
On the occasion of the ninth Ayurveda Day and the birth anniversary of Dhanvantari, considered the god of medicine, Modi launched a series of key initiatives which includes the expansion of Ayushman Bharat health insurance coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 and above, and the U-WIN portal that seeks to benefit pregnant women and infants by fully digitalizing the vaccination process.
Extending the government’s flagship health insurance scheme, touted to be the world’s largest, to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, Modi slammed the Delhi and the West Bengal governments for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme out of "political interests."
He said he was pained that the elderly from these two states cannot avail of free treatment under the expanded programme.
"I apologise to all the elderly aged above 70 years of Delhi and West Bengal that I cannot serve them. I would get to know about your pains and sufferings but I won't be able to help you," Modi said.
"The reason is that the governments in Delhi and West Bengal are not joining the scheme due to their political interests," he said.
He added that the tendency to be oppressive against the sick people of one's own state for political interests does not align with the idea of humanity.
People aged above 70 will get free treatment in hospitals and they will be given 'the Ayushman Vaya Vandana' card, said the prime minister, who had announced the expansion of insurance coverage to senior citizens aged 70 years and above in April 2024.
"I am able to serve the people of the country but the walls of the political profession are preventing me from serving the elderly people of Delhi and West Bengal," he said.
Elections in Delhi are due in 2025 and in West Bengal in 2026.
Modi, who launched development projects worth over Rs 12,850 crore, said that during this year's general elections, he had promised that people of 70 years and above would be brought under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. "This guarantee is being fulfilled today," he said.
The extension has been made at a cost of Rs. 3,437 crore.
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) provides Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore families. With the expansion, six crore senior citizens and around 4.5 crore families will be covered.
Prime Minister underscored that “a nation's progress is closely linked to the health of its citizens”, outlining the government's commitment to healthcare through five key pillars: preventive healthcare, early disease detection, affordable treatment, and medications, increased doctor availability in smaller towns, and technological advancements in health services.
He reiterated his government’s commitment to add 75,000 new MBBS and MD seats to meet rising demand.
At the occasion, he also inaugurated Phase-II of India’s first All India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi, Central Drugs Testing Laboratory in Bhubaneswar, Odisha; three government Medical Colleges in Madhya Pradesh; five projects under the PLI Scheme for medical devices and drugs; four Centers of Excellence of AYUSH; and many projects at various AIIMS; and also inaugurated ESIC hospital at Indore.
He also laid the foundation stone for five nursing colleges in Madhya Pradesh; 21 critical care blocks under PM-ABHIM in five States; two yoga and naturopathy institutes in Odisha and Chhattisgarh; upgradation projects at AIIMS, New Delhi and Bilaspur; six ESI hospitals in five states and four Centres of Excellence at NIPERs in four states.
Modi also launched a nationwide campaign “Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyan” to promote health awareness among citizens.