Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Sunday said the Centre's flagship Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission will bring a paradigm shift in the country's health sector.
Under the new scheme, health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh for every poor family in the country will be totally cashless and no registration will be required. The poor people will not have to pay money for hospitalisation, he said at the event to launch of the healthcare scheme here.
A 'golden card' will ensure their cashless treatment. In case a person does not have a card, he or she will be treated in any one of the 13,000 hospitals, which are part of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, after taking the person's thumb impression, Nadda said.
"Ayushman Bharat will bring mega health reform in the country as it will cover 10.74 crore families across the country, bringing a paradigm shift in the health sector," the Union health minister said, adding it is a unique scheme which will cover all poor people of the country.
Asserting that the the world is keenly watching the Ayushman Bharat scheme, the largest health insurance scheme, Nadda said, "It is a historic moment as a big leap in the health sector."
He said it is amazing that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 98 new government medical colleges have been built just in the last four years.
In Jharkhand, four new medical colleges are being built, out of which foundation stones for two were laid by the prime minister on Sunday. The central government pays Rs 250 crore to each medical college in the country.
