NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Tuesday decided to bring the beneficiaries of the widow and disability financial assistance schemes under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. The Delhi Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta decided to include approximately 3.97 lakh widows and 1.31 lakh Divyang persons under the ambit of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Their families will also be eligible to avail themselves of benefits under the scheme. About 5.5 lakh families in Delhi receive ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme benefits, said Gupta. Approximately 5.5 lakh additional families will come under a robust health security cover following this decision, she further said. These families will be in addition to those already covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Household (PRS) categories, senior citizens above 70 years of age, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers, and Anganwadi workers and helpers. She reiterated that the government is firmly committed to ensuring that no poor, vulnerable or needy citizen of Delhi is deprived of medical treatment due to financial constraints. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is the country’s largest health protection scheme, and the Delhi government has taken a significant step of making it more effective and inclusive, said the statement. The chief minister emphasised that the government’s objective is clear: no eligible citizen should be deprived of quality and affordable healthcare services. Chief minister Gupta informed that 7,23,707 Ayushman cards have been issued in Delhi so far, including 2,74,620 cards to senior citizens. For effective implementation of the scheme in the capital, a network of 208 hospitals has been empanelled, comprising 156 private and 53 government hospitals. More than 29,120 beneficiaries have received treatment under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) through the State Health Agency (SHA) in Delhi to date. Gupta said this is not merely an administrative decision but a commitment linked to the health and dignity of every needy family in Delhi.
