New Delhi, June 7 (IANS). West Bengal is soon going to become the 36th state/UT in the country to implement Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). With this, it is being considered an important step towards universal health coverage in the country and providing affordable and quality health services to all citizens.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the National Health Authority (NHA) and the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of West Bengal on Monday, with the state officially joining the flagship health insurance scheme.
The MoU signing ceremony will be presided over by Union Health Minister JP Nadda. Many senior leaders and officials of the Central and State Government will be present on this occasion. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Union Ministers of State Prataprao Jadhav and Anupriya Patel, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava and West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal are likely to attend the program.
After West Bengal joins this scheme, eligible families of the state will get health insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per year. This facility will be available for admission and treatment in secondary and tertiary level hospitals.
The government believes that this scheme will reduce the financial burden of treatment on poor and weaker section families and they will be able to get better health services in government and empaneled private hospitals.
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Scheme is one of the largest health insurance schemes in the country, which aims to provide financial protection to people against the huge expenses incurred on treatment of critical illnesses.
After West Bengal joins the scheme, eligible beneficiaries of the state will also get portability facility, under which they will be able to avail cashless treatment in empaneled hospitals across the country. Officials say this will improve both the access and quality of health services in the state and strengthen the goal of providing affordable health care to all citizens.
–IANS
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