Ayushman Bharat scheme: 90% of population will be eligible for the scheme: Maharashtra Governor

As much as 90 percent population of Maharashtra will be eligible for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Ayushman Bharat scheme, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao said here on Sunday. Rao was speaking after attending the launch of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme at the state government's Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and public health minister Dr. Deepak Sawant were also present. The ambitious healthcare scheme was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jharkhand Sunday.

It was simultaneously launched in other parts of the country. As many as 83.71 lakh families in Maharashtra, accounting for 90 percent of the population, would benefit from the scheme, Rao said. The scheme will be implemented along with Maharashtra government's existing Mahatma Phule Janarogya Yojana. "In the post-independence period, research (in medical science) has helped increase life expectancy from 35 to 70. Infant mortality and a number of deaths of pregnant women have been brought down. Ayushman Bharat is a step forward in the same direction," said Rao.

"Former US president Barack Obama had launched a similar scheme which covered only 10 crore people. But prime minister Modi has thought of 50 crore people and ensured better medical coverage for them. This is now world's biggest healthcare system," said Fadnavis. Union minister Prakash Javadekar launched the scheme in neighboring Thane, while Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan launched it in Nashik. Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan alleged that the scheme will only benefit private insurance companies. "Ayushman Bharat is yet another attempt by the NDA government to rename programmes launched by the Congress (in the UPA tenure) without making any substantial increase in funding," Chavan said.

"The existing Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Yojana was changed to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana last year (in Maharashtra). But the Fadnavis government has cut the spending on it by 50 percent in 2018-19, allocating Rs 576 crore against the earlier Rs 1,376 crore," Chavan said.