Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rolled out health coverage for all citizens aged 70 years and above under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) on Tuesday, regardless of their income and economic status.
Under the scheme, those who avail the Ayushman card can receive free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh at any of the AB PMJAY empaneled hospitals from October 29 onwards.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Augmenting the healthcare infrastructure is our priority. Initiatives relating to the sector launched today will make top-quality and affordable facilities available to the citizens.”
The Ayushman Vaya Vandana card marks the beginning of the expanded scheme that is expected to change the face of public healthcare as India’s rapidly growing ageing citizens can now access treatment, which had been out of their reach because of high costs.
Everyone of age 70 or more will be entitled to a cover of Rs 5 lakh annually, shared within the family. This means if there are two elderly beneficiaries in the household, the cover will be split among them.
“The elderly people, who always had anxieties about their healthcare because of costs, can now live with swabhimaan (dignity),” said Modi. The scheme will be available everywhere except Delhi and Bengal, since these states have not adopted Ayushman Bharat.
In order to access the health coverage, people need to register on the PM-JAY portal or on the Ayushman app. Those who have an Ayushman card already will also have to apply again on the portal or app and complete their eKYC for a new card.Senior citizens who are availing private health insurance policies or the Employees’ State Insurance scheme, will also be eligible to avail benefits under the scheme.
The Prime Minister also announced the pan-India rollout of the U-WIN portal to digitise routine vaccinations. The portal is based on the model of India’s COVID-19 vaccine management system Co-WIN and will keep a permanent digital record of vaccinations for children from birth to age 17 as well as pregnant women.