₹5-lakh health cover a saviour for poor, say golden card recipients

RANCHI: Manju Devi, 42, who works as a domestic help in Ranchi, was the first to receive the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna e-health insurance card from Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Sunday.

Modi launched the flagship scheme in Ranchi that provides an annual cover of ~5 lakh per poor and vulnerable family.

“Ayushman Bharat is a boon for poor people like us as any health problem in the family takes away our hard earned savings. We underwent an acute financial crisis in 2011 when my husband met with an accident and my daughter was hospitalised with typhoid,” Devi said. “We had to bear over ~1 lakh as hospital cost, as there was no such scheme to support us then.”

Devi said they lost all their savings and had to borrow from relatives and neighbours.

“With Ayushman Bharat, now we are free from the worry of disease and hospital cost,” said Devi.

Devi’s husband runs a cycle repair shop and both of them earn ~5,000- ~6000 a month.

Devi’s son and daughter study at a Ranchi college. Another recipient, Ruby Rani, 18, said her family had to sell land for her operation, which cost them around ~3 lakh.

“Had there been Ayushman Bharat like scheme, my father, who works as a casual worker in a private firm, would not have sold the property.”

She said meeting the Prime Minister was like a dream come true and Ayushman Bharat would prove to be a blessing to the poor. Mukesh Kumar, a physically-challenged man, said he had to sell land for treatment of his brother, Manoj Kumar, who met with an accident a few years back.

“Doctors are now saying the rod that has been fitted in his leg would have to be taken out. But we do not have enough money for the operation,” said Kumar.

“We thank Modi for introducing Ayushman Bharat.” he said. Kumar is also the first physicallychallenged person in the country to be recently allotted a PDS shop

under the National Food Security Act.

OVER A DOZEN TREATED

Over a dozen people were treated under the PMJAY at different hospitals of Jharkhand on the very first day of the launch of Ayushman Bharat scheme, officials said. Altogether 12 patients underwent operations at Ranchi’s Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), while a successful caesarean section was performed at Sadar Hospital, East Singhbhum. Dr Veena Singh, who performed the caesarean section of one Poonam Mahto, said, “Her operation was performed under PMJAY at

around 1 pm and she delivered a baby girl.”

State health secretary Nidhi Khare said that treatment under PMJAY would pick up from Monday. “Despite being Sunday, operations were performed by the doctors in different districts. Majority of the patients who underwent treatment were enrolled today,” she said.

Fifty-year-old Bachulal Tiwary said, “Ayushman Bharat has come as blessing in disguise to me. I had only two options for treatment- either sell property or take loan.”

Tiwary was detected with 90% blockage in an artery of the heart on September 15. Doctor had told

him that the operation would cost nearly ~75,000, which felt like a financial blow to this private tutor, who earns meager ~ 5,000 to ~6,000 a month. Tiwary said doctors at RIMS suggested him to try for availing the benefit of Ayushman Bharat. “Doctors told me, if I am enrolled under the scheme, my operation would be done free of cost, as I would get health insurance coverage up to ~5 lakh. I visited the Ayushman Bharat kiosk at RIMS and submitted the documents and thus got enrolled under the scheme,” he said.

Cardiologist Dr Prshant Kumar said, “The angioplasty procedures of both the patients were done successfully.”