Elderly above 70 years of age will get free treatment under Ayushman Bharat scheme: President Droupadi Murmu
Elderly above 70 years of age will get free treatment under Ayushman Bharat scheme: President Droupadi Murmu
In her address to Parliament on Thursday, President Droupadi Murmu spoke about the free health services provided by the government and reiterated the BJP’s poll promise of providing Ayushman Bharat coverage to everyone over the age of 70 years.
“Further, the government is going to take yet another decision in this area. Now all the elderly above 70 years of age will also be covered and get benefit of free treatment under Ayushman Bharat Yojana,” she said.
There has been a significant gap in healthcare coverage for the elderly, with a study showing that only 20 per cent of people over the age of 60 years were covered under health schemes such as Central Government Health Scheme, Employees State Insurance Scheme, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, cooperative health insurance schemes, medical reimbursement from an employer or privately purchased health insurance.
The government’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme already provides coverage to 55 crores of the poorest people in the country, with the scheme being extended to the grassroots-level healthcare workers — the ASHA and Anganwadi workers — in the interim budget.
President Murmu also spoke of another key project of the government in the healthcare sector — Jan Aushadhi Kendras, a network of generic drug stores that offer medicine sometimes costing 50 per cent to 90 per cent less than the branded versions available in the market. After completing the goal of setting up 10,000 such stores across the country, the government increased the target to 25,000. “The opening of 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the country is also progressing at a fast pace,” President Murmu said.
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