Ayushman Bharat, global benchmark in terms of affordable, inclusive healthcare: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Ayushman Bharat scheme has become a global benchmark in terms of affordable and inclusive healthcare.

"Under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri- Jan Arogya Yojana, more than 2 crore 60 lakh patients have got their free treatment in hospitals across the country," said PM Modi.

"It is estimated that without Ayushman Bharat, the poor and needy would have needed to spend nearly Rs 50,000-60,000 crore on the same treatment. From chemotherapy to radiotherapy to surgery, patients have received all benefits free of cost," he added.

Virtually inaugurating the second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) in West Bengal's Kolkata, PM Modi said, "Even hearing the name of cancer, the poor and middle class lost courage. To get the poor out of this vicious circle, the country is taking continuous steps for make cheap and accessible treatment affordable to all. The price of medicines needed for the treatment of cancer have come down significantly in the last few years."

"Our government has controlled the price of over 500 medicines, and it is helping save over Rs 3,000 crore for the poor and needy. We have also reduced the cost of knee implants, and that has especially benefited our senior citizens. This has helped in annual reduction of Rs 1,500 crore, helping the citizens. The PM National Dialysis Programme has helped 12 lakh poor with free dialysis," the PM added.

The Prime Minister also shared that in just five days, over 1.5 crore chldren aged between 15-18 have been given the first dose of vaccination.

"Out of the entire eligible population, over 90 per cent of India's population has at least got one dose. In just five days, over 1.5 crore chldren aged between 15-18 have been given a dose," said PM Modi.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the second campus of CNCI, which PM Modi inaugurated today via video conferencing, has been built at a cost of over Rs 530 crore, out of which around Rs 400 crores have been provided by the Union Government and the rest by the West Bengal Government, in the ratio of 75:25.

The campus is a 460-bedded comprehensive cancer centre unit with cutting-edge infrastructure for cancer diagnosis, staging, treatment, and care.

The campus is equipped with modern facilities like Nuclear Medicine (PET), 3.0 Tesla MRI, 128 slice CT scanner, Radionuclide therapy unit, endoscopy suite, modern brachytherapy units, etc. The campus will also work as an advanced cancer research facility and will provide comprehensive care to cancer patients especially those from Eastern and North-Eastern parts of the country.

( With inputs from ANI )

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