Ayushman Bharat Yojana which is also known as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana ( AB PM-JAY ) is a scheme that was started by the Government of India to provide free healthcare services to the 40% of the people of India.
The scheme was launched on 23rd September in the year of 2018 i.e. two years ago by the Ministry of Health and Family welfare. Later the Ministry of Health and family welfare also built the National Health Authority which is an organization in order to administer the scheme.
This is a Union Government scheme which is also a part of India’s National Health Policy. In this scheme, secondary health care services are provided to the people who need specialist treatment.
Also, providing tertiary health care to the people who need hospitalization under AB PM-JAY which is completely cashless. This scheme offers health care services to 50 crore people of India and is considered to be one of the world’s largest health care programs launched by the government.
Features of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
The world’s one of the largest health care programs comes with a lot of features. To know them to read the following points given below.
- It offers health coverage to about 10 crores of households or 50 crores of citizens of India.
- It offers a plan of Rs.5 lakh per year for per family for medical treatment in both public and private enrolled hospitals.
- It offers cashless payments and also paperless keeping of the records in the hospitals and doctor’s offices.
- It follows the criteria from the Socio-Economic and Caste Census to regulate the eligibility to receive the following benefits.
- It offers no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
- The scheme covers all the previous medical conditions.
- It also offers the people of India pre-hospitalization of three days and post-hospitalization for fifteen days which also includes diagnostic care, OT expenses and other expenses on medicines.
- The scheme of AB PM-JAY is totally portable which means any recipient can avail medical treatment in the enrolled hospitals outside their state and anywhere in India.
- The scheme also includes free access to the Covid 19 testings.
What is the eligibility criteria for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana for Urban and Rural people?
The eligibility criteria for the rural areas under the PM-JAY health cover is available to the following :
- To the one’s living in SC / ST households.
- The families that have no male or individual member aged from 16 to 59 years.
- Beggars and the ones surviving on alms and manual scavenger family.
- Families that have one physically challenged person.
- The ones who make a living by working as manual labour and also to legally released bonded labourers.
- The primitive tribal communities.
- The families that have one room makeshift houses with no proper walls or roof.
The eligibility criteria for the urban areas under the PM-JAY health cover is available to the following:
- To the washerman and the chowkidars.
- The rag pickers, mechanics, electricians repair workers.
- Sanitation workers, sweepers and gardeners.
- Cobblers, hawkers, handicraft workers, construction workers, porters, welders, mason, security guards, plumbers and more.
- To the transport workers like drivers, conductors, helpers, rickshaw and cart pullers.
- To the assistant helpers like the peons, delivery boys, waiters and more.
What are the critical diseases and the minimal list of exclusion that are taken care of under PM-JAY?
Some of the most critical diseases that are taken care of under the PM-JAY are given below.
- Prostate cancer
- Coronary artery bypass grafting
- The replacement of a double valve
- Carotid angioplasty with the stent
- Replacement of the pulmonary valve
- The skull base surgery
- Laryngopharyngectomy along with gastric pull up
- The fixation of the anterior spine
- Expander of tissues because of disfigurements following burns
Some of the minimal lists of exclusion taken care by the PM-JAY are given below
- The drug rehabilitation programme
- OPD
- The procedures related to cosmetic And fertility
- Organs transplantation
- Individual diagnostics too.
In conclusion, the main focus of this scheme of PM-JAY is to provide health care services to the people who are mostly poor and have lower middle income.