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Context

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission through a video conference.

 

Ayushman Bharat

• Ayushman Bharat is a flagship scheme of Government of India, was launched as recommended by the National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
• It was launched in September 2018 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It is a national public health insurance fund of the Government of India that aims to provide free access to health insurance coverage for low income earners in the country.
• Roughly, the bottom 50% of the country qualifies for this scheme.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme and is jointly funded by both the union government and the states.
• By offering services to 50 crore (500 million) people it is the world's largest government sponsored healthcare program.
• This initiative has been designed to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its underlining commitment, which is to "leave no one behind."

 

Benefits

• It covers all hospitalisation expenses with cashless transactions to beneficiaries.
• Accommodation during hospitalisation.
• Pre and post-hospitalisation costs.
• Any complications arising during the treatment.
• Can be used by all family members.
• No cap on family size, age or gender.
• Pre-existing conditions are included from day one.

 

Eligibility

Rural

• Household with no adult/male/ earning member within the age group of 16-59 years
• Families living in one room with Kuccha Kuccha walls and roof
• Families with no members within the age group of 16-59 years
• Household without a healthy adult member and one disabled member
• Manual scavenger families
• Landless households earning a major part of their family income from manual labour

 

Urban

• Domestic worker
• Beggar
• Ragpicker
• Home-based Artisans/ Tailor Sweeper/ Handicrafts worker/ Sanitation worker/ Mali
• Construction worker/ Labour/ Painter/ Welder/ Security guard/ Coolie
• Washer-man/ Plumber/ Mason
• Electrician/ Mechanic/ Assembler/ Repair worker
• Transport worker/ Rickshaw puller/ Conductor/ Cart puller/
• Waiter/Shop worker/ Assistant/ Peon/Delivery assistant
• Street vendors/ hawker / Cobbler

 

Who is not entitled to avail coverage under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana?

• The following categories of entities are not covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana:

1. People who own a vehicle like a two-wheeler, three-wheeler, or a car
2. Government employees
3. People whose monthly income is more than Rs 10,000
4. Those who have farming machinery and equipments
5. Those who live in properly build houses
6. Those who hold a Kisan card
7. Those owing a motorized fishing boat
8. Those owing an agriculture land of more than 5 acres
9. People employed in government-run non-agricultural enterprises
10. People who have refrigerators and landline phones in their houses

 

About Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission              

• This is to provide a digital health ID to people which will contain their health records.
• The key components of this scheme, which is also called the National Digital Health Mission or the PM Digital Health Mission, are a health identity card for every citizen, a healthcare professionals registry, and healthcare facilities registries.
• Currently, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is being implemented in a pilot phase in six union territories.

 

Significance

• Based on the foundations laid down in the form of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) trinity and other digital initiatives of the government, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will create a seamless online platform through the provision of a wide range of data, information and infrastructure services, duly leveraging open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems while ensuring the security, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.
• It will enable access and exchange of longitudinal health records of citizens with their consent.
• This will ensure ease of doing business for doctors and hospitals and healthcare service providers.
• This mission will create interoperability within the digital health ecosystem, similar to the role played by the Unified Payments Interface in revolutionizing payments.

 

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pm-modi-launches-ayushman-bharat-digital-mission/article36690426.ece