Kolkata: As many as 1.23 crore people received their Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards as the scheme rolled out in Bengal on Sunday. The state has also started handing out Mukhya Mantri Swasthya Bima Yojana cards to around 80 lakh who are not eligible for AB-PMJAY.Handing out the Ayushman cards to beneficiaries ranging from a 10-year-old to an octogenarian at Netaji Indoor Stadium, CM Suvendu Adhikari said Ayushman would cover around 1.34 crore households and Bengal would now observe Aug 16 as ‘Ayushman Divas’.“Aug 16 is the day of the Great Calcutta Killings in which 10,000 Hindus were massacred. We will observe this day as Ayushman Divas. The previous govt used to observe it as Khela Hobe Divas,” Adhikari said.While those receiving their physical or e-cards on Sunday were among the 3.4 crore beneficiaries who passed the field verification process, health department estimates say around six crore in Bengal are eligible to receive Ayushman Bharat benefits.Adhikari stated that as many as 1,240 private and over 600 state hospitals across the state are already empanelled under the scheme. The CM also assured private hospitals — which had earlier expressed concerns over the treatment package rates offered in Bengal — that he would take up the matter with Centre.Compared to the 1,700 health conditions covered by Swasthya Sathi, Ayushman Bharat covers treatments for 1,950 conditions.Those eligible for Ayushman Bharat include around 3 lakh ASHA and ICDS workers, as well as 35 lakh senior citizens above the age of 70.Bengal health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said, “The people of Bengal had been denied the biggest health scheme in the world since it was launched in Sept 2018.”Recalling how Suvendu Adhikari visited Delhi to sign the MoU for Ayushman implementation shortly after assuming the CM’s office, minister of state for health Anupriya Patel said, “PM Narendra Modi and health minister JP Nadda had tried to convince the previous Bengal govt to roll out AB-PMJAY, urging the former CM not to deny the people of Bengal their right merely over political differences. Now, this health coverage will finally benefit the people of Bengal.”On Sunday, the state also signed MoUs for AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) Pharmacy and Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra. While AMRIT offers life-saving drugs, cancer medicines, cardiovascular drugs, implants, and surgical disposables at discounts ranging between 50% and 90%, the latter provides quality generic medicines at prices lower than equivalent branded medicines in the market.Around 100 AMRIT pharmacies are expected to open across medical colleges and other govt hospitals in Bengal. Additionally, around 477 PM Janaushadhi Kendras will be set up across the state.“Observing Ayushman Divas on the black day of the Great Calcutta Killings took place is how BJP brings change to the state,” said Union minister Sukanta Majumdar.
