NAGPUR: The Maharashtra government’s endeavor is to ensure maximum people get benefits of its health schemes, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said. A secretary-level committee will be formed to ascertain how the state’s financial burden can be reduced while ensuring the “best benefits” of the ‘Ayushman Bharat Yojana’ and the ‘Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jeevandayee Yojana’ to people, Fadnavis said in the state Assembly.
The Central government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat scheme aims to provide an annual coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family and benefit more than 10 crore poor families. The Mahatma Jyotibha Phule Jeevandayee scheme of the Maharashtra government provides cashless treatment to people upto Rs 1.5 lakh.
Replying to a discussion on the issue during the question hour, Fadnavis said two crore people have benefited from the state government’s Jeevandayee scheme. “We will try to co-ordinate between the Centre’s scheme and of the state so that maximum people get its benefits,” he said. Prithviraj Chavan (Congress) said the Ayushman Bharat scheme covers only 40 per cent of the population.
“The limit of the state’s scheme is Rs 1.5 lakh and that of the central scheme is Rs 5 lakh. The Maharashtra government should seek funds from the (Centre) Ayushman Bharat scheme and increase the limit of the state scheme to Rs 5 lakh,” he said. To this, Fadnavis said the government was in the process of studying whether the coverage ranging from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh can be provided by a trust.
Efforts were also being made to increase the number of hospitals in all districts so that the premium to be paid (by the state government on its scheme) can be evenly distributed, he said. At present, there is not a single empanelled hospital in 250 talukas, he added. PTI
