The State health and family welfare department is gearing up to start the universal health insurance scheme-Atal Ayushman Yojana (AAY)- from December 25. Under the scheme, every family, residing in Uttarakhand, would be brought under the ambit of the health insurance plan in which an annual cover of `5 lakh would be provided.
It is worth mentioning here that 5.37 lakh families of the state have already been brought under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana (ABY), the flagship scheme of Narendra Modi Government.
The beneficiaries of the scheme are the economically backward families listed in the economic survey of 2011. On the order of the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Uttarakhand Government decided to extend the benefit of the scheme to all the families residing in Uttarakhand.
The nodal officer of the scheme, Dr Saroj Naithani said that the department has made the necessary preparation to implement the scheme which covers every family of the State. She further said that the department has selected families on the basis of national food security survey.
There are about 23 lakh families in Uttarakhand out of which 5.37 families are already covered under ABY. The remaining families, including about three lakh families of the State Government employees, would be brought under AAY on the birthday of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
A total of 30 private hospitals have so far been included under the scheme while the process to empanel 19 hospitals is underway. The State health agency-set up to implement the scheme-has appointed Arogya Mitras in all the empanelled hospitals for assisting patients on all issues related to treatment under the scheme.
For treatment under the scheme in any empanelled hospital, the patients should have to show their ration card and AADHAR card to the hospital authorities.
The scheme is being run on a trust mode and the State health agency has selected a Hyderabad-based company, Family Health Planning Limited, for technical help. The Union Government is providing 90 percent of the budget for the scheme while the State Government would contribute remaining 10 percent.