Blitz Bureau
SRINAGAR: Whenever someone fell ill in Farida Begum’s family, the biggest worry was the money required to get treatment at a good hospital.
The situation often forced her family at Handwara town of Kupwara district in Jammu & Kashmir to avoid taking treatment for minor ailments until they turned serious and required hospitalisation. And it often forced her family to borrow money and the debt that it incurred led to long-term financial issues.
But all these worries were over the day Farida had a chance encounter with a hospital nurse who told her about Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the healthcare scheme of the Narendra Modi Government.
As the scheme covers hospitalisation cost of poor patients, Farida and her family members were eligible for it and soon became beneficiaries by getting Ayushman cards (Golden Card in J&K). The family now has a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per year and need not ask relatives for money in case of hospitalisation. A smile of relief flickers across Farida’s face as good treatment at any of the 239 Government and private hospitals empanelled under the scheme is available to her family.
“I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji for the Ayushman Bharat scheme. I am glad we have such a scheme now for free health treatment. It has saved so many poor people like us,” she said.
Launched in 2018, free health services are being provided under the scheme to 55 crore beneficiaries from over 12 crore families belonging to the poor socio economic classes. Over 6.34 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 80,645 Crore have been authorised under the scheme.
