VIJAYAWADA: Over one lakh Covid-19 patients have availed of free treatment in private hospitals under the YSR Aarogyasri Scheme in the last one year. The State government has spent Rs 309 crore for extending the Aarogyasri benefit to the Covid-19 patients. The medical bills paid by the government were more than the annual family income of the beneficiaries in some cases.
As on today, a total of 1,00,033 Covid-19 patients have received free treatment in various private hospitals across the State under Aarogyasri. Free treatment is being extended in all government hospitals and private hospitals taken over by the government, whether or not the Covid patient is eligible under Aarogyasri. The numbers stated here are only pertaining to Aarogyasri beneficiaries who chose to get treatment in private hospitals. If the number of Covid patients availing treatment in government hospitals is also taken into consideration, the total number will be more than double.
Andhra Pradesh is the first State in the country to include Covid-19 in the healthcare system of the government. Within days of the outbreak of the pandemic in the State, it was included in the list of medical and health procedures of Aarogyasri, the State’s flagship healthcare scheme.
Under the scheme, all the people having an Aarogyasri card can avail of healthcare services in empanelled hospitals free of cost if the bill exceeds Rs 1,000. The bills of beneficiaries irrespective of the amount were cleared. Ramanaiah Manda (49) of Nellore had availed of Aarogyasri benefit by getting free medical treatment in Apollo Speciality Hospitals.
His total medical bill was Rs 5,87,534. In case of Sheikh Nazeer (58), another Aarogyasri beneficiary, the treatment cost was Rs 4,68,312.Considering the fact that one’s family income should be below Rs 5 lakh per annum to be eligible for Aarogyasri, one can only imagine how the beneficiary families would be subjected to immense financial burden if they had to spend their entire annual family income for the medical treatment of beneficiary if it was not borne by the government. The two instances reflect the immense benefit of the Aarogyasri scheme to the poor.