PM Narendra Modi recently launched Ayushman Bharatscheme, hailed as the world’s largest government-fundedhealthcare programme. The scheme, also dubbed as Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna (PM-JAY or PMJAY), is expected to cover 50 crore beneficiaries.
Ayushman Bharat healthcare programme will provide cashless coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family, every year,for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. The beneficiaries can avail the benefits in all government hospitals, as well as several empanelled private institutes. (The tender for private hospitals is still open.)
To be rolled out on September 25th, on the birthday of PunditDeendayal Upadhyay, the scheme will cover all the existing disease of the beneficiaries with virtually no terms and conditions. For instance, there is no cap on the age or the family size.
Now the biggest question that comes is whether you’re eligible to benefit from Ayushman Bharat scheme. Well, if you’re in deprivation category of SECC database then YES,you can avail all the benefits of the programme; if not, this isn’t for you.
This SECC survey was taken as a baseline to calculate the number of possible beneficiaries of this scheme. In fact, out of this survey, a large database is created of all the beneficiarieswho can avail free healthcare up to Rs 5 lakhs.
(Remember, a Socio-Economic and Caste Consensus happened in 2011 and you were asked to skip office and stay at the office? Yes, that. Who would have thought the benefit of skipping the office day would come 7 years later!)
Not sure if you’re in the deprivation categories (D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D7) of the SECC database? There’s a way to find out. Go to this link https://mera.pmjay.gov.in/search/ and search for your name using, well, your name, ration card or few other options. If you spot yourself there, congratulations, you’re going to make ‘Bharat Ayushman’. If not, keep waiting for a new and refined universal healthcare scheme in India.
