8,500 cards issued in Gurugram under Ayushman Bharat; only 23 seek treatment
Ayushman Bharat health scheme was rolled out country wide on September 23. It provides a medical coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per annum.
More than two months after the launch of the Ayushman Bharat — Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme — the Gurugram district health department has issued gold cards to around 8,500 eligible families in the district. However, till date, only 23 people have sought treatment at the district’s government and private empanelled hospitals.
AB-PMJAY, rolled out country wide on September 23, provides a medical coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per annum. In Gurugram, 80,000 families from the deprived category of the Socio-Economic Caste Census of 2011 — 67,698 families in urban areas and 19,075 in rural areas — can seek treatment at any government hospital or at any empanelled private hospital in the district for free by producing their gold cards. The gold cards are currently being issued at eight kiosks across the district – one each at the Civil Hospitals in Civil Lines and in Sector 10, three in Pataudi and three in Sohna.
According to Dr Anuj Garg, district coordinator of the scheme, almost all of the patients went through orthopaedic or general surgeries – 20 of the 23 patients in different private hospitals and the rest three at the Civil Hospital in Civil Lines.
Kiran, an eligible resident of Gurgaon gaon, while standing in the queue of the kiosk at the Civil Hospital at Civil Lines, said that even though health workers had come to her house a few months ago to inform her family of the scheme, she was unsure of how she could avail services. “They didn’t explain much at that time. I heard through a neighbour that cards were being made here upon presenting your ration card,” she said.
Health department officials noted that out of around 300 private hospitals in the district, only 18 have registered for the scheme so far. When the scheme was rolled out, 16 private hospitals had empanelled themselves under the scheme. Officials said that the number of people seeking treatment under the scheme could have been higher had more private hospitals been willing to get involved. “Private hospitals, especially the larger ones in the city, are not very willing to empanel themselves. Before the scheme was launched, the health department held multiple sessions with representatives of the hospitals, briefing them about how they can register themselves and other details. However, there wasn’t much enthusiasm from them,” said Dr Garg.
Private practitioners, when contacted, expressed confusion due to lack of proper information. Dr Ajay Gupta, secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Gurugram, said that doctors of private hospitals are not aware of the scheme’s specifics and that the government needs to provide more clarity on how private hospitals can help in its implementation.
“The state government should hold awareness sessions with doctors and the IMA to ensure more participation,” he said.
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