J'khand CM instructs DCs to ensure PMJAY benefits to all

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Tuesday instructed all district deputy commissioners in the state to ensure that common people do not face any difficulty in availing benefits under PMJAY or Ayushman Bharat scheme, an official release said here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had rolled out the flagship Ayushman Bharat scheme renamed Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadi Yojana (PMJAY) from here on September 23.

It is billed to provide insurance to 10.74 crore families across the country with Rs 5 lakh insurance per family per annum for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled health care providers.

"It (PMJAY) is a new system. There will be a bit of difficulty It is the largest scheme in the world and it has been launched from Jharkhand, so the responsibility (for the state) is more," the official release said quoting Das.

"Antyodaya (uplift of the weakest section of the society) should be the base line of development ... Ayushman Bharat is also service to humanity," Das said at a function on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay today.

He asked the deputy commissioners to ensure that common people do not face any diffiulty on PMJAY benefits and clear all doubts of the hospital managements regarding Ayushman Bharat by September 29 on the issues of Arogya Mitra and medical coordinators.

The beneficiaries can get treatment from listed government and private hospitals, he said and all the state information and public relations department officials to monitor the scheme every day and send reports to the head respective quarters.

He directed the officials to distribute customised letters among the beneficiaries as soon as they get them by arranging a function within 48 hours of receiving them.

Health Secretary Nidhi Khare said that so far 218 government hospitals and 139 private hospitals have registered for the scheme.

She said that more than 1000 golden cards have been made and asked the deputy commissioners to ensure internet connectivity.