President Droupadi Murmu announced on Thursday that all citizens aged above 70 years will now receive free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. She mentioned this while addressing the joint sitting of Parliament.
The country is also rapidly opening 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras, which are government-run pharmacies providing affordable medicines. Currently, the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) offers free health services to 55 crore beneficiaries.
“Further, the government is going to take yet another decision in this area. Now all the elderly above 70 years of age will also be covered and get the benefit of free treatment under Ayushman Bharat Yojana,” the President said.
India is promoting traditional health practices like AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy). President Murmu highlighted that the International Day of Yoga was recently celebrated globally, emphasizing India’s role in promoting wellness worldwide.
“The prestige of this great legacy of the country is continuously rising in the world. By promoting yoga and AYUSH, India is helping create a healthy world,” the President said.
India is becoming a leader in various fields, including IT, tourism, health, and wellness.
The AB-PMJAY is the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance scheme. It provides health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for hospital treatments to 12 crore families. State Health Agencies (SHAs) are responsible for empaneling hospitals under the scheme, following the Hospital Empanelment and Management (HEM) guidelines.