The State Government employees would get the gift of cashless health insurance facility under Atal Ayushman Yojana (AAY) from December 25, the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In a meeting held at the State secretariat, the medical health and family welfare secretary Nitesh Jha directed the officials that all the State Government employees should be enrolled in the scheme without any further delay.

He is learnt to have pulled up the department officers for the procedural delays coming in the way of the scheme.

The secretary also sounded annoyed over the fact that just 13 percent of the empanelled hospitals are giving treatment to the beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

Mention worthy, the State Government had decided to merge the existing U-health card scheme to cover over 2.6 lakh State Government employees and to launch it on the occasion of the State foundation day (November 9) this year.

However, the procedural delays on the part of state health department coupled with the enforcement of the model code of conduct in the state in view of the urban local body polls  had put a roadblock in the launch of the scheme on November 9. 

The employee organisations which earlier had their reservations about U health card scheme and its merger with ABY have now accepted the scheme presented in the changed format.

A prominent employee union leader Arun Pandey said that the Chief Minister has assured them that scheme would be beneficial for the employees.

He said that the cashless scheme should be made hassle- free so that the employees can take its benefit with their Aadhar number and employee code.

The scheme

Launched in the year 2010, the U–health card scheme was implemented to provide unlimited cashless health insurance cover to the State Government employees. The scheme is at present optional for the employees and just 18000 employees have registered themselves for the scheme.

Under the scheme, an annual premium of Rs  5000 is charged from the employee having grade pay in excess of Rs   6600 while those getting a grade pay of Rs  4200 to Rs 5400, a sum of Rs  3500 is charged.

The employees getting grade pay of Rs 1900 and 1800 pay Rs 1500 while those receiving less are liable to pay only Rs  700 per year. The pensioners are also accorded the benefit of the scheme.  After its merger with the AAY, the U health card scheme would be made compulsory for all the State Government employees.