Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY): Eligibility, Benefits, Coverage, Application Process

Ayushman Bharat scheme (PM-JAY): On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated thanking the honest taxpayers that it is because of these honest payers that so many poor people of the country are able to get free healthcare under the Arogya Ayushman Bharat Scheme. The scheme started in September 2018 and by now as many as 1 crore patients have availed from the scheme. 

He mentioned that about 80% of the patients getting free treatment under the scheme belong to the rural. Also, about 50% of the total number are women. He also mentioned that the patients who got treated under the scheme had such diseases that were not under the condition of getting treated by medicine. As much as 70% of the beneficiaries have got surgical treatment to get rid of a health issue. 

Arogya Ayushman Bharat Scheme is known to be the world’s biggest healthcare scheme and has the aim of treating patients who are poor and are in need of healthcare services. 

Ayushman Bharat Scheme- Benefits and Coverage

People who get registered under the scheme are provided with an e-card. The patients just have to show the e-card to the hospitals that are empanelled under the scheme. The scheme offers the benefit of cashless treatment and other healthcare facilities to the people who are poor and are in need of medical help. 

There are empanelments set with different private and public hospitals across the country so that patients can get the treatment as their nearest centers. The patients can simply walk into any of these hospitals and show up the card to start getting the required treatment absolutely cashless.

The scheme covers a number of expenses and these are:

• Expenses of pre-hospitalization for 3 days and post-hospitalization for 15 days
• 1400 procedures such as OT and their expenses
• Rs. 5 lakhs per family each year

Ayushman Bharat Scheme- Eligibility and Application

People who wish to get facilities under the scheme and wish to get an e-card can visit the nearest empanelled Hospital. Also, these people can call upon the number 1800 111 565 or 14555. 

Initially, you need to check whether you are eligible for the facility or not by providing details and showing documents such as Aadhar. As the scheme is strictly for the poor sections of the society, proper verification will be done to check whether the right person is getting the e-card or not. 

The eligibility criteria of the people depend upon the factor whether they are from a rural area or urban area. 

People staying in the rural area, need to cover up these eligibility criteria:

• People who are living in the households or scheduled tribe and scheduled caste
• Families that are not supported by a male member between the age of 16 years to 59 years
• Beggar and similar people
• Families that have no adult with proper fitness and the one who is, has a physical challenge
• Families without lands
• Tribal communities
• Bonded laborers
• Families who do not have proper houses

• Scavenger families

In the case of the urban locations, people who are eligible for Arogya Ayushman Bharat Scheme are:

• Chowkidars or washermen
• Ragpickers
• Electricians, repair workers, and mechanics,
• Domestic help
• Sweepers, gardeners, and sanitization workers
• Tailors, handcraft workers, or home-based artisans
• Hawkers and cobblers
• Security guards, painters, welders, porters, construction workers, masons, and plumbers
• Transport workers such as rickshaw pullers, conductors, drivers, and helpers
• Waiters, shopkeepers, delivery boys, peons, and assistants

Here is a list of people who are not supposed to get the facilities of Arogya Ayushman Bharat Scheme:

• People who have vehicles of two-wheelers, four-wheelers or even a fishing boat that is motorized
• Families that have proper mechanized equipment for farming
• People who have Rs. 50,000 worth Kissan card
• People who are employed under the Government of India
• People who have a service under non-agricultural enterprises that are managed by the Government
• People who have a minimum income of Rs. 10,000 per month
• Families that have the facilities of landlines and refrigerators
• Families that live in proper houses
• People who have agricultural lands of a minimum of 5 acres

Patients under the scheme can get treatments of prostate cancer, double valve replacement, pulmonary valve replacement, laryngopharyngectomy with gastric pull-up, tissue expander, and similar others.