Ayushman Bharat free health insurance to cover Alzheimer's, cancer treatment
What's the story
The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) free health insurance, is all set to expand its coverage.
The expansion will cover treatments for common geriatric conditions like Alzheimer's, heart failure, dementia, and cancer.
Currently providing some 25 health packages for elderly care, the government is now adding more packages to cater to the specific needs of senior citizens.
Package development
New health packages to address common geriatric ailments
The National Health Authority, which implements AB-PMJAY, is already working on new health packages focusing on diseases commonly affecting the elderly.
A health ministry source told TOI, "A committee headed by medical experts reviews health packages regularly, but this is a special case due to the inclusion of a large elderly subgroup."
The committee is now looking at major health issues requiring hospitalization among senior citizens.
Beneficiary impact
Expansion of AB-PMJAY to benefit millions
The expansion of AB-PMJAY is expected to benefit around six crore people across 4.5 crore families, giving senior citizens much-needed access to healthcare.
The new packages will cover ailments such as stroke, fractures, heart failure, and cancer which are prevalent among the elderly.
This comes as part of the Centre's plan to cover citizens aged 70 and above under the scheme, regardless of income.
Expert insights
Medical experts highlight need for expanded elderly care
Dr. Prasun Chatterjee from the National Centre for Ageing emphasized the growing necessity for elderly care, especially for diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia.
He noted that these diseases often lead to infections which require hospitalization.
Dr. Vinay Aggarwal of the Indian Medical Association highlighted the financial burden on elderly patients, adding, "Private insurance for the elderly is expensive and often unwilling to cover senior citizens, making this government scheme a lifeline for many."
Scheme overview
World's largest publicly funded health assurance initiative
Launched in 2018, AB-PMJAY offers a yearly health cover of ₹5 lakh per family for hospitalization requirements.
The scheme is co-funded by the Indian government and state governments in a 60:40 ratio, making it the world's biggest publicly funded health assurance scheme.
Originally intended to offer annual health cover for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 55 crore people from 12.3 crore poor and vulnerable families, its expansion now aims at covering all citizens aged 70 and above.