Modi Extends Ayushman Bharat to Senior Citizens Aged 70 Yrs, Above

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched development projects worth nearly Rs 12,850 crore and extended his government’s flagship health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above.

Speaking after the launch, the Prime Minister hit out at the Delhi and West Bengal governments for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme due to “political interests”.

In his address, Modi highlighted the unprecedented progress made in India’s healthcare sector over the past decade, contrasting it with the “limited achievements” in the previous six to seven decades.

He also expressed anguish that the elderly in some Opposition-ruled states will not be able to avail free treatment under the expanded programme. “I apologise to all the elderly aged 70 and above in Delhi and West Bengal that I cannot serve them. I would get to know about your pains and sufferings, but I won’t be able to help you. The reason is that the governments in Delhi and West Bengal are not joining the scheme due to their political interests,” Modi said, adding that the tendency to be oppressive against the sick people of one’s own state for political interests does not align with the idea of humanity.

Elaborating on the extended Ayushman Bharat scheme, the Prime Minister stated that people aged above 70 will get free treatment in hospitals. They will be given the “Ayushman Vaya Vandana card. He said that during the general election, held earlier this year, he had promised that people aged 70 years and above will be brought under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme during the third term of his government.

“This guarantee is being fulfilled today,” Modi said, adding that he will not rest until the poor and middle class of the country are free from the burden of expensive treatment.

The Prime Minister claimed that nearly four-crore poor people have availed of the benefits under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), adding “Had the scheme not been there, they would have had to pay out around Rs 1.25-lakh crore from their own pockets”.

“I often interact with the beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and listen to their experience... Be it the poor or the middle class, the priority of the government had been to lessen the burden of medical expenditure,” the Prime Minister said, adding that no such beneficial scheme existed in the past.

The Prime Minister also noted that more than 14,000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras are operational across the country, where medicines are available at an 80 per cent discount. He claimed that due to these Janaushadhi Kendras, the poor and middle class have managed to save Rs 30,000 crore due to the availability of cheap medicines. Similarly, prices of devices like stents and knee implants have been reduced, which led to savings of more than Rs 80,000 crore by the common citizens.

At the programme held on the occasion of ninth Ayurveda Day and the birth anniversary of Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of medicine, the Prime Minister stated that 7.5-lakh registered AYUSH practitioners are already contributing to the nation’s healthcare. He stressed on increasing this number further and highlighted the growing demand for medical and wellness tourism in India.

The Prime Minister further stressed the need for the youth and AYUSH practitioners to prepare for expanding fields such as preventive cardiology, Ayurvedic orthopaedics and Ayurvedic rehabilitation centres, both in India and abroad.

“Immense opportunities are being created for AYUSH practitioners. Our youth will not only progress themselves through these opportunities but will also render a great service to humanity,” he said.

The Prime Minister also announced the launch of the Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyan, aimed at designing ideal lifestyles and risk analysis for individuals using Ayurveda principles.