Ayushman Yojana: Dist leads with 16,991 health cover beneficiaries in Prayagraj div

Prayagraj: Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, the govt is providing an annual health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to all citizens above 70 years of age through a dedicated initiative —Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana. The campaign is gaining significant traction in the Prayagraj division, where more and more senior citizens are being brought under the scheme.
Divisional project manager of the National Health Mission (NHM), Prayagraj, Harit Saxena, said 49,868 senior citizens applied for the scheme across the Prayagraj division, of which golden cards were issued to 49,273 so far. The division includes Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, and Fatehpur.
Prayagraj district leads with 16,991 elderly beneficiaries, a remarkable achievement considering that senior citizens comprise over 27% of the district's population. It is followed by Fatehpur with 13,474, Pratapgarh with 11,372, and Kaushambi with 7,439 beneficiaries. Under the Ayushman Yojana, currently, 156 hospitals in the district, 34 govt and 122 private, provide free treatment to the beneficiaries.
According to sources at the health department, a targeted campaign is being conducted across the state to ensure every eligible senior citizen receives an Ayushman card. The initiative, driven by the CM's directives, led to a massive mobilisation of resources. The NHM and district health departments are organising regular review meetings to monitor the progress and ensure seamless execution.
According to a senior cardiologist at Motilal Nehru Medical College, Dr Abhishek Sachdeva, Ayushman Yojana has proved to be a lifesaver for the underprivileged. Following the scheme, free treatment of serious diseases is now possible not only in govt hospitals but also in expensive hospitals of the city.
Nodal in-charge of Ayushman Yojana Dr Rajesh Singh said that bypass surgery of 30 patients was performed through Ayushman in United Medicity Hospital located in Jhalwa. Under the Ayushman Yojana, the five major hospitals in the district include SRN, Kamala Nehru Hospital, United Medicity, Shakuntala Hospital, and Narayan Swaroop Hospital, where Ayushman beneficiaries get free treatment.
According to Dr Rajesh, currently, 156 hospitals in the district are included in the Ayushman panel. A total of 1,03,884 patients got treatment under Ayushman so far. 28,453 people received free treatment in govt hospitals and 75,431 in private hospitals. Rs 108 crore was paid for the treatment of beneficiaries.