During her speech in Parliament on Thursday, President Droupadi Murmu talked about the government’s free health services and reiterated the BJP’s poll promise to give Ayushman Bharat coverage to all people over the age of 70 years.
She also mentioned,“Further, the government is going to take yet another decision in this area. Now all the elderly above 70 years of age will also be covered and get benefit of free treatment under Ayushman Bharat Yojana.”
There has been a large gap in healthcare coverage for the elderly. A study found that only 20% of people aged over 60 years were covered by health schemes like the Central Government Health Scheme, Employees State Insurance Scheme, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, cooperative health insurance, employer-provided medical reimbursement, or private health insurance.
The government’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme currently covers 55 crore of the country’s poorest individuals. Recently, the scheme has also been expanded to include grassroots-level healthcare workers such as ASHA and Anganwadi workers in the interim budget.
President Murmu also highlighted another important government initiative in healthcare — Jan Aushadhi Kendras. These are networks of generic drug stores offering medicines that can cost 50% to 90% less than branded versions. Initially aiming for 10,000 stores nationwide, the government has now raised the target to 25,000. President Murmu noted, “The establishment of 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country is advancing swiftly.”