January 13th 2025.
Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, was buzzing with excitement on Monday as the state officially joined the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana scheme. It has been seven months since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state and they wasted no time in making this move. The state's Health and Family Welfare department signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Health Authority in New Delhi, making Odisha the 34th state or Union Territory to implement this health assurance scheme. The signing took place in the presence of esteemed guests like Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and other dignitaries.
It is worth noting that the BJP-led Centre had been urging the previous government in Odisha to join Ayushman Bharat. However, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) administration had rejected the proposal, stating that their own medical insurance scheme, Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, was superior. But with the BJP coming into power in June 2024, ending BJD's 24-year rule, the state's medical insurance scheme has been replaced with Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana.
During his speech, Nadda took the opportunity to criticize the previous BJD government for denying the benefits of the national health scheme to the underprivileged. He accused them of making the decision based on political considerations and ego, and stated that the darkness has finally lifted with the formation of a BJP government in Odisha. He also emphasized on the importance of understanding the grey area between light and darkness, and how it can be troublesome. He further added that this historic day was a clear indication of the progress and development that is to come for Odisha.
Nadda also mentioned that the Centre had repeatedly requested the BJD government to consider the fact that many people from Odisha work in other parts of the country and do not have access to health insurance. However, their ego got in the way of cooperative federalism. He also expressed his confidence that Delhi and other states like West Bengal, governed by the Trinamool Congress, will eventually join the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
In his address, Chief Minister Majhi highlighted the significance of this development, stating that it will have a positive impact on 86% of Odisha's population and revolutionize the healthcare system from top to bottom. He also mentioned that the previous government had refused to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme for political reasons, even though it was introduced by the Centre in 2018. Majhi also announced the establishment of Ayushman Arogya Mandir, a health center, in each gram panchayat where a team of healthcare professionals will work towards providing quality healthcare services. This facility will eventually be extended to urban areas as well.
The state will be implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme in convergence with GJAY, and beneficiaries will be issued a bilingual health card. This convergence scheme will provide a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per annum, with an additional Rs 5 lakh for women members. Over 1.03 crore families in Odisha will benefit from this scheme. With the implementation of Ayushman Bharat, even people aged 70 years or more will be covered under medical insurance, regardless of their financial status. This will be a significant improvement from the previous BSKY, which only covered 900 hospitals. The state government has already linked the e-KYC data of one crore residents with the central database, making it easier for beneficiaries to avail cashless treatment at over 30,000 hospitals across the country.
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