Jharkhand govt focuses on improved Ayushman coverage for Covid treatment in pvt hosps

RANCHI: The state government’s department of health, medical education and family welfare has laid emphasis on providing benefits under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to those who might need hospitalizations for treatment of Covid-19.
With the state gearing up for a possible third wave of infections, the administrations of 24 districts have been directed to ensure that Covid patients, who are beneficiaries of AB-PMJAY, get the benefits of the scheme. Bhuvanesh Pratap Singh, the nodal officer for third wave of Covid management in Jharkhand, said: “The district administrations have been directed to ensure that beneficiaries are treated under the scheme. Awareness campaigns will also be carried by the state health department in this regard.”
Launched in 2018, the scheme promises the economically vulnerable families a monthly hospitalization cover of Rs 5 lakh for various ailments, including cancer, dialysis, neonatal and emergency care.
In June, state health minister Banna Gupta had claimed that a total of 1,419 Covid patients in Jharkhand were treated under the AB-PMJAY scheme. Of them, 486 availed the scheme during the first wave of the infections which hit Jharkhand in March last year.
A month after the pandemic struck in India, the Union ministry of health and family welfare included Covid testing and treatment under AB-PMJAY for the country’s 50 crore registered beneficiaries. Despite that, AB-PMJAY’s benefits were extended to a handful of the registered beneficiaries who contracted Covid in Jharkhand.
“The AB-PMJAY empanelled hospitals in Jharkhand were under the impression that the Covid-19 treatment package was not covered under the scheme. Hence, many beneficiaries could not avail the scheme and had to pay from their pockets,” a senior official in the state health department said.
As per the Union government’s dashboard, Jharkhand had 35.14 lakh families as registered AB-PMJAY beneficiaries and 766 empanelled hospitals state-wide. The Centre’s dashboard claimed that 486 beneficiaries availed the Covid-19 treatment package between March and July 31 last year.