With an objective to provide a free comprehensive health cover to about 5.38 lakh families of Uttarakhand, the State Government entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Health Protection mission (NHPM) ‘Ayushman Bharat scheme’ at Shimla on Monday. The MoU was signed between the Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and State Health secretary Nitesh Jha in presence of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. This is going to be a great gift for common people of the State.
Addressing a workshop organised on the occasion, CM Rawat said that 5.38 lakh families from Uttarakhand would be covered under the scheme. He said that inspired by the Prime Minister the Uttarakhand government would provide benefit of health insurance to every family.
He further said that the most important feature of the scheme is that the patient under the plan would be able to avail the facility of cashless treatment at any of the empanelled hospital in the state and outside it.
Elaborating further he said that under the scheme free of cost treatment would also be made available at super specialty hospitals outside state also.
The CM claimed that Uttarakhand has registered 100 per cent success in the measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign. He also expressed gratitude to Union Health Minister for giving permission to re-open the urban health centres that were lying closed in the cities.
Rawat said that Uttarakhand Government has accorded top priority to the health sector and in order to end the shortage of the doctors, as many as 478 specialist doctors have been appointed.
He said that in March 2017, out of 2725 posts there were only 1364 doctors in the state but now the number of the doctors has increased to 2150.The CM further said that 35 major hospitals of the state have been connected with Tele-Radiology for providing health examination facilities to the patients. He said that for the specialist medical treatment, a contract has been signed with IT major Hewlett Packard (HP).
He said that E-Health Centres have been set up in Community Health Centres of four remote areas – Agastyamuni, Bhikiyasain, Naugaon and Okhalkanda and they have been connected with the Government Medical College, Srinagar so that specialist doctors can provide them expert advice.
He said that 108 Emergency Ambulance service is also been strengthened in the state. He added that in all 95 development blocks, 111 new ambulance are being provided, which will reduce less response time for the treatment of the patients.
The CM expressed concern on declining sex ratio in the state and said that in order to tackle the problem, a major campaign is being organised. As a result of which the ratio of the girls per 1000 boys has increased from 888 to 934, he claimed.
The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra, Himachal Pradesh Health Minister Vipin Singh Parmar, Jammu & Kashmir Health Minister Devinder Manyal and Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij were also present in the workshop.