The state government will soon form an advisory committee to address teething troubles in Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), India’s flagship health insurance scheme launched nationally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ranchi on September 23, chief minister Raghubar Das said on Monday here.
Ayushman Bharat may be facing few hurdles but these would be ironed out soon, Das told the media outside Circuit House.
“We know it is a new scheme and world’s biggest government funded health scheme. A scheme of such magnitude will face some hurdles. I have directed the new health secretary (Nitin Madan Kulkarni) who assumed charge as principal secretary health on Monday) to form an advisory committee at the earliest to trouble-shoot problems in the execution of Ayushman Bharat,” the chief minister said. “I have asked him to ensure that the small advisory committee has experts to strategise the scheme’s success,” he added.
The most serious Ayushman Bharat glitch in Jharkhand is poor internet connectivity hindering generation of the golden beneficiary card. The chief minister, however, was upbeat that his government would manage to provide healthcare coverage under the scheme to 85 per cent of Jharkhand’s populace.
“Our government is giving Rs 400-crore as premium to facilitate linking of 57 lakh families out of a total of 68 lakh families in the state, which is nearly 85 per cent, with the health insurance scheme. Things will be streamlined soon,” he said.
Replying to a journalist, who had pointed out that the region’s biggest private heal hubs Tata Main Hospital and Tata Motors Hospital had not shown interest in getting empanelled under Ayushman Bharat, Das said over 200 private hospitals in Jharkhand were partners. “We will soon hold talks with the Tata management on empanelment. They (Tata hospitals) will be paid for treating patients under the scheme. The more the number of patients, the more their profits,” he said.
Das expressed confidence in the BJP’s return to power in the state and Centre in 2019 polls and dubbed the grand alliance of the Congress-led Opposition as “Thag gatbandhan” and “Loot gatbandhan”. He also blamed Congress leaders for inciting violence against Bihar and UP migrant workers in Gujarat recently.
The chief minister also held a meeting with state land reform and revenue and tourism minister Amar Kumar Bauri and Gurujee Kumaran Swami, founder of Mumbai-based World Peace and Adhyatma Jyotish Trust, at Circuit House. Das invited the spiritual leader to set up an ashram at Itkhori in Chatra, a source said.
Das, who also held a closed-door meeting with East Singhbhum DC Amit Kumar at Circuit House here over Durga Puja law and order, added he was satisfied with the preparations.
