Govt to launch Ayushman Bhava health campaign on PM Modi's birthday

A comprehensive healthcare campaign— Ayushman Bhava—will take off on 17 September. Calling it a gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi (on his birthday), Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the campaign would enhance healthcare accessibility to all Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries.

Started in 2018, Ayushman Bharat or Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana is the government's flagship healthcare insurance/assurance scheme.

The Ayushman Bhava campaign will be formally launched by President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday. It will be covered through three elements—Ayushman - Apke Dwar 3.0, Ayushman Melas at Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs), and Ayushman Sabhas in every village and panchayat.

"The first two versions of Ayushman Aapke Dwar yielded good results with the creation and distribution of 250 million Ayushman cards out of the estimated 600 million beneficiaries," the minister said. On Ayushman Mela, he said it would introduce weekly health check-ups and screening for various diseases free of cost. The third component—Ayushman Village—is about rewarding villages on completing their targets.

Mandaviya also announced the extension of another campaign, NiKshay Mitra 2.0, where citizens adopt TB patients at block and district levels.

Stating that he's had meetings with all health state ministers, he expressed confidence that there would be no resistance to the public service campaign initiative.