President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday, June 27, that all citizens aged above 70 will be provided free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. She also said that the opening of 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the country is progressing at a fast pace while addressing the joint sitting of Parliament.
Under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), free health services are being provided to 55 crore beneficiaries, said Murmu. "Further, the Government is going to take yet another decision in this area. Now all the elderly above 70 years of age will also be covered and get the benefit of free treatment under Ayushman Bharat Yojana," the President said.
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India is helping create a healthy world by promoting AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), Murmu said. She stated that the International Day of Yoga was recently celebrated as a global event. "The prestige of this great legacy of the country is continuously rising in the world. By promoting yoga and AYUSH, India is helping create a healthy world,” the President said. Today, India is emerging as a leader in every sector, from IT to Tourism and from Health to Wellness, she stated.
The AB-PMJAY, the largest publicly funded health insurance scheme in the world, aims to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 12 crore families. Hospital Empanelment and Management (HEM) guidelines for empanelment of hospitals under AB-PMJAY mandate the State Health Agencies (SHAs) with the responsibility of empanelling hospitals under the scheme.