Free of cost stents for heart ailments to BPL category: Choubey

Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey today said stents used in the treatment for heart ailments would be provided free of cost to all persons below poverty line (BPL).

He also said the prices of the stents have come down significantly now than what they used to be earlier.

"We have taken a decision only around two weeks back that stents for heart ailments for people belonging to BPL category will be provided free of cost," Choubey said while replying to questions at a news conference here.

On another issue, Choubey was asked about Punjab health minister Brahm Mohindra on Monday refusing to sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for 'Ayushman Bharat' on the ground that the Punjab government was already running similar schemes.

The four states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh had inked the MoUs with the Union Health Ministry at an event in Shimla recently for the implementation of 'Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission'.

However, Choubey said, "We are not going to leave any state. We are talking to them (Punjab) and I am hopeful that in coming days it will be solved (they will onboard)."
Asked what steps the Centre was taking to check costly medicines being prescribed by some doctors, he replied "We are now moving towards generic medicines. We have opened 3,217 centres under 'Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Yojana..."