Limit for free hospital treatment increased to ₹5L; 700 free clinics soon
State finance minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that 200 new hospitals would be empanelled in the scheme, and added that the limit for kidney transplant surgery would also be increased to ₹4 lakh from the existing ₹2.5 lakh
Mumbai: In a significant move, the Maharashtra government has announced an increase in the limit for free treatment under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) from the existing ₹1.5 lakh to ₹5 lakh per annum. The decision will bring the health insurance scheme on par with the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) being run by the central government.
MJPJAY is a flagship health scheme of the state government that facilitates cashless medical treatment of needy patients at over 1,000 government-empanelled hospitals for around 996 types of diseases, surgeries and therapies. State finance minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that 200 new hospitals would be empanelled in the scheme, and added that the limit for kidney transplant surgery would also be increased to ₹4 lakh from the existing ₹2.5 lakh.
Fadnavis, in his state budget presentation on Thursday, also declared that 700 new clinics in the ‘Aapla Dawakhana’ (Our Clinic) initiative would be opened across Maharashtra. “After getting a huge response to the ‘Aapla Dawakhana’ initiative in the name of Balasaheb Thackeray in Mumbai, it will now be launched across Maharashtra,” the finance minister told the lower House. “We will open 700 clinics in the state which will provide free medical tests and treatment.”
The concept of Aapla Dawakhana comes from the mohalla clinics started by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government. The BMC has started over 100 Aapla Dawakhanas across the city.
The state finance minister also announced the establishment of the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation. It will undertake a special campaign for constructing hospitals, primary health centres, schools and anganwadis.
The state has increased its health plan by ₹1,926 crore from the allocation made in the last budget. It has made an allocation of ₹21,847 crore for health and family welfare schemes in this budget. Last year, it was ₹19,920 crore, which also included salary and other recurring expenses.
There are no provisions in the budget to improve healthcare infrastructure that would help the state deal with a pandemic like Covid-19. Health department officials, however, said that improvement has been already made on that front. “In terms of capacity, we have a sufficient number of beds and facilities,” said Sanjay Khandare, principal secretary, health department. “From the pandemic point of view, we are now in a position to address any eventuality.”